'Fourth betting shop in 50 yards’ for Leyland town centre after bank conversion approved

The Hough Lane building that used to house the town’s HSBC branch will make the switch after permission was granted by South Ribble Borough Council’s planning committee.

Members gave the go-ahead to the conversion - which will also require separate licensing approval - in spite of concerns raised by some of their own number and other councillors about the proliferation of gambling outlets on the thoroughfare.

The proposed Boyle Sports venture will join a Ladbrokes directly opposite and William Hill and Betfred bookies nearby.

The authority’s lead member for social justice, Paul Wharton-Hardman, told the committee: “Gambling…has potential to cause wide-ranging harm, not only to individual gamblers, but to families and to society as a whole, which can…manifest in various forms - including financial difficulties, mental and physical health issues, strained relationships and other adverse effects on employment and education.”

Cllr Wharton-Hardman said that the proposal was “especially concerning” given the upcoming transformation of Leyland town centre. The shopping area is about to undergo a £38m revamp, which will include a facelift for Hough Lane.

However, the meeting heard that “moral” and “social” issues connected to gambling were not material planning considerations.

South Ribble’s development planning team leader Chris Sowerby added that national planning policy had shifted to reflect the most recent shopping trends and to encourage a “more diverse” range of units in town centres “against a backdrop of the decline of retail”.

That puts it at odds with the council’s own local plan - now nearly a decade old - which demands that at least 60 percent of business premises in the heart of the town are in retail use. However, Leyland is already falling far short of that ambition, with just 30 percent of units currently being given over to more traditional retail purposes - and the committee was told that the “unquestionably” changed shopping habits of the nation made the local policy less relevant.

Nevertheless, committee member Haydn Williams said that the “variety” of the retail offering on the high street remained an important issue - and suggested that the proposal did nothing to increase that in Leyland.

“Are there sufficient opportunities to do a diverse range of things?” Cllr Williams asked.

“Within 50 yards of this application [site], there are three other betting shops. In my opinion, [the additional outlet] does not increase the vitality of [the town centre], it harms it.”

However, the agent for the application noted that the former bank had remained empty since it was vacated in August 2022, “ despite active marketing”, while committee member Phil Smith said that on-street boomakers like the one proposed were not “the danger with betting” - digital and mobile options were.

The application was approved by a majority.