Objectors were pinning their hopes on the council’s Licensing Committee this week turning down an application
A new gambling establishment at the site of an old Ann Summers shop in Belfast city centre will receive a gaming permit, despite opposition from a nearby church, and a range of local political parties.
At the December meeting of the Belfast City Council Licensing Committee, an amusement permit was granted on the tightest of votes for Twilight Zone at 51 Rosemary Street, off Royal Avenue.
Nine elected representatives were in favour of the application, from Sinn Féin, the SDLP, and Alliance, while 8 were against the application, from the three unionist parties, Alliance, and the Green Party. Alliance were split on the matter.
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The applicant company has operated an existing amusement arcade at 13 North Street for over 20 years. They had promised that the North Street location would be closed if the Rosemary Street licensing application was approved.
The application is for a total of 48 gaming machines. The amusement arcade currently operated by the applicant at 13 North Street is licensed for the same number of machines.
All gaming machines are to pay out a maximum all cash prize of £500, with a maximum stake of £2. The proposed opening hours of the premises, as specified on the application, are Monday to Saturday: 8am to 12 midnight and Sunday 12 noon to 11pm
In September 2024, elected representatives at the council’s Planning Committee approved an application for the change of use from retail unit to amusement arcade and adult gaming centre at 51 Rosemary Street, Belfast, BT1, just off Royal Avenue. The unit had previously been an Ann Summers shop.
The planning application was opposed by the First Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church in Belfast, who have a building at 41 Rosemary Street, the city’s oldest surviving place of worship. South Belfast DUP MLA Edwin Poots also lodged an objection to the application at City Hall.
The First Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church again made a representation in opposition to the licence application. Objectors were pinning their hopes on the council’s Licensing Committee this week turning down an application for a gaming permit, which would have effectively ended any gambling ambitions at the property.
The council report on the application states: “The outline of the objection is that the Church believes the application is the wrong use in the wrong place and that an amusement arcade would be a bad neighbour for the Church. Having previously objected to the Planning application, and being disappointed by the planning approval, the objector feels that the application site is not a suitable location for an amusement permit and that this should be the conclusion of any assessment against the council’s amusement permit policy.
“While the planning permission has restricted Sunday opening from 12 noon to 23:00, the objector points out that the Rosemary Street Church is a listed building and a tourist attraction, and is well used beyond Sunday mornings.”
It adds: “At the meeting on 2 June 2025 between the applicant and church representatives, measures were discussed including further altering proposed opening hours to avoid timings of weekly meetings held in the Church involving vulnerable groups, and the possibility of the applicant investigating proposals to enhance the streetscape to bring benefit to the street and make the proposal more acceptable.
“The applicant confirmed that they wanted to be a good neighbour to the Church. For some 15 years the applicant had previously operated as a neighbour to a Church at Kingsway in Dunmurry and had maintained a very good relationship which they hoped could be the case in Rosemary Street. However, it was not possible to find a satisfactory resolution between the two parties at or since the meeting.”
Council officers stated the application had to be seen as a new licence application. The report states: “As there is no mechanism for the council to secure the surrender of the amusement permit in North Street it is necessary to assess this application as being for a new premises. Viewed in this context, the application runs contrary to the council’s amusement permit policy by virtue of its location in the retail core of Belfast city centre.
“However, members may wish to take into account the information provided by the applicant’s solicitor about the lease for the existing amusement arcade at 13 North Street, and the applicant’s willingness to give an undertaking concerning the surrender of this lease.”
Town planning consultant, Dr Tony Quinn, told the Licensing Committee: “It is in the primary retail core, where there is a presumption against allowing additional amusement arcades. However, the applicant maintains that this is going to involve the relocation of an existing premise, within the retail core, to another part of the retail core.
“If the relocation merits of this are bona fide and of face value, then there is going to be no increase in the amount of amusement permits in the retail core. So viewed in that context, the principle of it could be considered acceptable, as long as there are no additional amusement arcades.”
DUP Alderman Dean McCullough said: “I think this application is regrettable. I am limited, and the policy is what it is. I am struggling in terms of the legality to put forward a case. But outside of the legalities, and the jargon, and all of the policy, I don’t think it is the right place for this.” He said the gambling premises would “affect Royal Avenue, an area we are trying to regenerate.”
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