Councillor criticises ANOTHER new 24/7 casino in Northampton town centre

A Northampton councillor has criticised ANOTHER new casino opening in Northampton town centre.

Labour councillor Danielle Stone, of the Castle ward, has attacked the opening of a new 24/7 casino in Market Square.

The casino, owned by Star MK Ltd, opened last month (October) at the former Moon on The Square pub.

Councillor Stone said: "All our hopes for the town centre regeneration of Northampton have been dashed. With a casino opening in the Market Square we can kiss goodbye to a warm, inviting, family friendly square. This is developer led not citizen led. As citizens we pay our taxes and get no choice in how our town looks and how it functions.

"Why is the Market Square dying? Because most people don’t want to go there and be confronted with betting shops and casinos."

Before his sudden death on November 4, veteran market trader Eamonn 'Fitzy' Fitzpatrick also criticised the casino opening.

He wrote on Twitter: "We are going into the biggest recession this town has ever seen, this is the last thing the Market Square wants opening.

"These places are evil. Children go hungry because of their weak parents using these so-called 'entertainment venues'."

Justifying the approval, WNC said in planning papers that the [casino] development would “bring a long term vacant unit back into use to the benefit of the viability of the town centre”.

The Moon of the Square closed in 2017 to the shock of many Northampton residents. The building had been left to wrack and ruin for five years.

Just last month (October), proposals were submitted by Chongie Entertainment Ltd to open a casino at the former Edinburgh Woolen Mill shop in Abington Street, which closed down at the start of 2020.

In July 2021, a 24/7 casino opened in Fish Street, which was also condemned by councillor Stone and homeless organisation The Hope Centre.

Stuart Timmiss, from the council, previously said of the Fish Street casino: "As a council we are required to ensure all planning decisions taken are in accordance with national guidance and legislation to which the our local polices must align. Whilst I understand the concerns raised, this particular application met all of the requirements and therefore is deemed to be acceptable.”