Westminster Council has given unanimous backing to plans for the Trocadero in London to be converted into a world class casino.
Genting Casinos UK has been granted permission to create a two-storey leisure and entertainment complex within the iconic Grade II listed building situated at 13 Coventry Street.
The council’s planning committee voted in favour of the £40 million project which will see the first floor and basement refurbished, replacing what had been the Bubba Gump restaurant and the Opium nightclub, which was forced to close in 2019 after its licence was revoked following a shooting.
Genting runs 32 casinos throughout the UK including one in Westminster and another in Kensington.
The newly created venue will be able to cater for up to 1,250 customers and create 350 new jobs in hospitality for Londoners, from entry-level to management.
London’s Thriving Cluster Of Casinos
It is a tremendous boost for the UK gambling industry for such an ambitious project to get the green light in what has become a thriving area for top-class venues.
The decision was revealed just a week after Paddy Power opened the UK’s first land-based sportsbook at London Hippodrome Casino, which is just a short walk from the Trocadero, across Leicester Square.
In addition to the Hippodrome, there is Grosvenor Casino Rialto based at 3-4 Coventry Street, and Empire Casino which looks over Leicester Square.
Genting Casino Chinatown is also within walking distance, based on Shaftesbury Avenue.
What Happens Next?
Genting UK has applied for a 24-hour licence to operate which is presently under review.
It had faced opposition from the Soho Society, who argued that “casinos of this size encourage late-night drinking, and increased drinking comes with increased crime and antisocial behaviour”.
James Axelby, Genting’s Chief Financial Officer, stated that alcohol was not expected to account for more than 7% of overall revenue.
The council’s planning officers felt that the new venture would be an improvement on the building’s previous use as a nightclub and that if a 24-hour licence is approved it would avoid mass departures of patrons in the early hours of the morning.
There is one more hurdle for Genting to cross.
Westminster city does not approve new casino licenses, so Genting Casinos UK has requested that its gambling licence for the Crockfords Club in Curzon Street, which closed two years ago, to be transferred to the new venue.
Detailed Plans For The Trocadero Casino
The Trocadero first opened as a restaurant in 1896 for J Lyons and co and has served several notable purposes since, including hosting an indoor theme park Sega World leading into the millennium.
Situated at 13 Coventry Street, the building presently houses souvenir and food shops on the ground floor, while there is a vacant restaurant space on the first floor previously occupied by Bubba Gump and a vacant former nightclub, Opium, in the basement.
In its proposal, Genting states that the existing shopfronts and signage along Coventry Street are of poor quality and haphazard design, creating a bad impression for visitors.
Working with the building’s owner, Criterion, they intend to make regeneration of the facade part of the first phase of works.
Looking at the interior, Genting intend to convert 37,000 square feet of space into a new entertainment and leisure venue, encompassing a casino, restaurants and bars.
The 24-hour casino will trade across the ground floor, first floor and part of the basement with a target audience aged 25 and over.
The restaurants will occupy the ground and first floors, with the first floor dining operating as a part of the casino and therefore carrying a minimum age limit of 18 for customers.
The ground floor restaurant will be separate from the casino areas and will be open to all ages.
