The Stage

Casino plans for London’s White City

Published Tuesday 17 August 2004 at 10:50 by Ruth Gillespie

Property firm Chelsfield has confirmed its plans for yet another Las Vegas-style casino scheme, as part of a new £2 billion shopping and entertainment development at London’s White City.

The company hopes to take advantage of the proposed deregulation of the UK’s gambling laws following Whitehall’s decision to relax restrictions on entertainment in casinos in order to attract international companies willing to invest in large scale leisure complexes.

In a recent report from the parliamentary committee responsible for scrutinising the draft gambling bill it was recommended that so-called ‘destination’ casinos - previously labelled ‘regional’ or ‘resort’ casinos - should be limited to areas of low population in need of regeneration.

Areas such as Blackpool have already been named by industry experts as likely sites for the new entertainment venues, while the Dome, Wembley and White City are believed to be among the favoured locations in London.

White City, one of the city’s most rundown estates and the BBC Television Centre site, is currently undergoing a major makeover with new transport links and the development of a 40-acre site that, when completed in 2006, will include retail, leisure and catering facilities. Chelsfield is currently looking for an international operator to manage the casino complex.