Furious locals are battling to stop their seaside town from being turned into the ‘Las Vegas of the East Coast’ amid controversial plans to turn its last remaining high street bank into a 24-hour casino.
Picturesque Whitby – where Bram Stoker found inspiration for his horror novel Dracula – is famed for its cobbled streets, quaint shops and coastal charm.
But those living in the North Yorkshire fishing town face the prospect of its remaining bank being transformed into a round-the-clock gambling venue.
The Halifax branch in the town’s historic centre is set to close in mid-May, and company Luxury Leisure revealed plans to replace it with an ‘adult gaming centre’.
Town hall officials had recommended the scheme be approved because a ‘soon to be vacant unit would remain in use in a prominent location’.
The controversial plan sparked a wave of outrage, with more than 500 objections lodged and the town’s Labour MP presenting a petition to parliament, urging North Yorkshire Council to throw out the scheme.
Councillors did reject the scheme as a planning meeting on Thursday, after one local politician warned: ‘If it’s approved, Whitby will become the Las Vegas of the East Coast.’
However, jeopardy still remains with applicant Luxury Leisure likely to appeal the decision, having vowed to plough £500,000 into the project.
Picturesque Whitby – where Bram Stoker found inspiration for his horror novel Dracula – is famed for its cobbled streets, quaint shops and coastal charm
The Halifax branch in the town’s historic centre is set to close in mid-May, with company Luxury Leisure seeking to replace it with an ‘adult gaming centre’
Sam Dryden, 49, who runs an ice cream and souvenir shop K&S Dryden, with father Ken, 74, said: ‘The town is dying a death and there are a lot of empty buildings – but a casino is not what we need
Speaking to MailOnline, furious locals and business owners feared a successful appeal would ruin Whitby’s character and attract the ‘wrong crowd’.
Edith Harrison, 84, who has lived in the town for 20 years, said: ‘People are very annoyed.
‘It’s just not what we want or need. I’m dead against it. This is Whitby – it’s not Las Vegas.
‘It’s bad enough closing the last bank. But to replace it with a 24-hour casino is awful.
‘There’s a lot of older people in Whitby who really don’t want it.
‘What we need are more shops, for the people who actually live here all year around.
‘People seem to forget that it’s not all holiday homes – there are lots of people who call Whitby home and they seem to get forgotten about.’
Many fear if the venue, if successful its appeal to the planning inspectorate, will attract rowdy crowds and further strip the town of its traditional charm.
Edith Harrison, 84, who has lived in the town for 20 years, said: ‘People are very annoyed’
Alan Landers, 59, who runs butchers Landers of Whitby directly opposed the proposed venue, said: ‘It’s no good for this street – it’s honestly the last thing we need.
‘There’ll be train-loads coming down from Middlesbrough, drinking all night and ending up in the casino until the morning.
‘I don’t want my customers turning up and having to be confronted with that.
‘If you want a casino, you can go to any big city – not a little, quaint fishing village.’
Mr Landers feared: ‘Whitby’s losing it’s identity. This street used to be thriving with independent shops. Now it’s just us, the baker’s and the veg shop left. Now it’s all charity shops.’
Outside the Halifax, which closes its doors on May 15, James and Julie Richardson also expressed their concerns.
Julie, 72, said: ‘Whitby is a place for families, for heritage, for history. The last thing we need is a 24-hour gambling den encouraging people to throw away their money.
‘It’s completely out of character for our town.
Alan Landers, 59, who runs butchers Landers of Whitby directly opposed the proposed venue, said: ‘It’s no good for this street – it’s honestly the last thing we need’
Many fear the venue will attract rowdy crowds and further strip the town of its traditional charm
‘It’s already bad enough with drinking. I won’t come into the town centre at the weekend because it can just be carnage. I’m too old and it scares me.
‘We used to be a fishing village, now it’s all about tourism, second homes and holiday lets. It’s not the same anymore. It’s not peaceful.’
Les Wetherill, 72, added: ‘We don’t need a casino – we need something decent.
‘It’s all charity shops and chip shops in Whitby, there’s nothing for the locals. It’s just not what we need.’
Sam Dryden, 49, who runs an ice cream and souvenir shop K&S Dryden, with father Ken, 74, said: ‘The town is dying a death and there are a lot of empty buildings – but a casino is not what we need.
‘This town is not the place for it. All it will serve to do is bring in stag parties and that’s not what we want here. We want families coming here for a day out at the seaside.
‘We need retail shops, not gambling.
‘No-one comes out of a casino with the money that they went in with. That’s money that would have otherwise been spent elsewhere in the town.’
Labour MP Alison Hume raised the issue in Parliament on Tuesday, stating that locals were ‘particularly disappointed that the site of the proposed gaming centre is that of the Halifax bank branch, which is due to close shortly, leaving the town without any bank branches’
Les Wetherill, 72, pictured, added: ‘We don’t need a casino – we need something decent’
Officials argued that keeping the building in use will benefit the town centre’s economy and footfall, even if the loss of a bank is ‘regrettable’.
Darren Marshall, 62, warned that allowing gambling venue risked damaging the town’s reputation as a family-friendly destination.
He said: ‘It’s for the 18+ market and it’s not a particularly welcome thing, in my view. It would be a shame for this town.
‘This is the main shopping street for people who live in Whitby. Shops are closing down and being replaced with things that people who live and work here don’t want.
‘It will attract the kind of visitor to the town that it neither wants nor needs.
‘The visitors are important but we do need to have an infrastructure in place for the residents as well.
Labour MP Alison Hume raised the issue in Parliament on Tuesday, stating that locals were ‘particularly disappointed that the site of the proposed gaming centre is that of the Halifax bank branch, which is due to close shortly, leaving the town without any bank branches.’
A spokesperson for Luxury Leisure defended the proposal, insisting there would be ‘no noisy amusement arcade equipment which attracts under-18s and has an impact on amenity’.
Darren Marshall, 62, pictured, warned that allowing gambling venue risked damaging the town’s reputation as a family-friendly destination
They said the company would invest £500,000 into the premises, create a dozen jobs and ‘ensure footfall to the town centre’.
At the planning meeting, there were 523 objections and just six in support.
Calling for the application to be refused, Cllr Derek Bastiman said: ‘It will detract wholly from Whitby which enjoys visitor numbers 52 weeks a year and I can see no benefit to the town or the wider area.
‘If it’s approved, Whitby will become the Las Vegas of the East Coast.’
Cllr Janet Jefferson added: ‘Once you open the floodgates, that will be that.
‘I just think it’s not the right place. Whitby is unique and we should maintain that. There’s no way the place can be controlled 24/7 and I will not support this.’
Luxury Leisure has 12 weeks to decide whether to bring an appeal.
Bram Stoker drew inspiration from Whitby after a stay in 1890. The 199 steps up to the abbey also feature.
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