Birmingham Councillors Approve Adult Gaming Centre Despite 'Over-Concentration' Fears

^{Watford Road runs through Cotteridge, the Birmingham suburb where councillors approved a 24-hour adult gaming centre despite an 'over-concentration' objection. (Photo: Row17 / Wikimedia Commons)}

Birmingham City Council's planning committee has approved a 12-month temporary change of use that will turn a shop on Watford Road in Cotteridge into a 24-hour adult gaming centre, despite objections from the area's MP and two ward councillors.

The application, reference 2026/02515/PA, sought permission to convert the convenience store at 15 Watford Road into gambling premises operating around the clock, seven days a week. It is the latest in a run of gambling premises applications to reach UK planning committees this year, and it drew dozens of objections before going before councillors this week.

MP and Councillors Warn of 'Over-Concentration'

Birmingham Selly Oak MP Al Carns objected on the grounds that the plans could have a negative impact on the character of the area, raising concerns about anti-social behaviour. He also argued there was already a similar business on Cotteridge High Street, leaving no justification for a second.

Green Party councillor Roxanne Green, who represents Bournville and Cotteridge, told the planning meeting that the primary shopping area in Cotteridge local centre already has three gambling establishments within 0.1 miles of the application site.

'A fourth gambling centre is clearly an overconcentration. Another adult gaming centre is the last thing the community wants or needs. We must protect the remaining retail units,' Cllr Green said.

Fellow Green councillors Joe Peacock (Billesley) and Duncan Ali (Balsall Heath West) also spoke against the application, with Cllr Ali pointing to national planning policy's 'promoting healthy communities' section as reason to question the approval.

Officer's Report Found No Grounds to Refuse

A council planning officer had recommended the scheme as acceptable subject to conditions ahead of the meeting. The officer's report noted West Midlands Police found nothing to suggest the change of use would increase crime or anti-social behaviour at this stage, and concluded there was no substantive evidence of a direct correlation between the proposed use and anti-social behaviour that could sustain a refusal.

Andrew Woods, representing the applicant, told the committee the scheme was brought forward by a family business that knows the area well, and that planning policy supported approval despite gambling 'not being everybody's cup of tea'.

Committee chair Cllr Martin Brooks said he did not see planning grounds for opposing the application, and the committee voted to approve the temporary permission for 12 months. The officer's report also flagged that the venue will still need a separate licence under the Gambling Act 2005, which carries its own conditions on managing anti-social behaviour, crime and drug-related risks.

'Over-concentration' objections of this kind rarely succeed on planning grounds alone. A comparable case in Smethwick ended with councillors approving a 24-hour casino licence despite police and health warnings, suggesting that in the absence of hard evidence of harm, planning policy tends to favour operators over local objections.

Birmingham City Council's full decision notice has not yet been published on its planning portal. The temporary nature of the permission means the venue's long-term future in Cotteridge will depend on how the operator manages the concerns raised by residents and councillors over its first year, before any application for permanent planning permission.

Full coverage of the committee meeting, including the exchanges between councillors and the applicant's agent, is available via Birmingham Live's report.