UK to Scrap 'Aim to Permit' Rule After 24-Hour Slots Venue Forced on North Tyneside

^{Adult gaming centres such as the 24-hour Admiral venue approved for the Collingwood Centre in North Shields would need planning permission under the government's high street reforms. (Photo: Betty Longbottom / Wikimedia Commons)}

The UK government has announced plans to give councils far greater power to block new gambling venues, including scrapping the "aim to permit" rule that North Tyneside Council said left it powerless to stop a 24-hour slots venue opening in North Shields.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham unveiled the package on 11 August as part of a wider drive to revive high streets. It would require new adult gaming centres in England to obtain planning permission for the first time and remove the long-standing presumption that licensing authorities should approve gambling premises.

The aim to permit rule, set out in Section 153 of the Gambling Act 2005, requires councils to look favourably on premises licence applications that meet the Gambling Commission's expectations. Ministers say it has made it difficult for authorities to refuse new betting shops and round-the-clock slot machine arcades even when residents object.

According to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, there are around 1,450 adult gaming centres across the UK, more than half of them in the poorest 20% of neighbourhoods. Vape shops would also be brought into the planning system under the same reforms.

The North Shields Case That Put Councils in a Bind

North Tyneside became a flashpoint for the debate this year. The council's planning committee originally refused a change-of-use application for a Luxury Leisure adult gaming centre at the Collingwood Centre, but that decision was overturned on appeal to the Planning Inspectorate in October 2025.

A separate gambling premises licence for the Admiral-branded venue was then granted by the council's licensing sub-committee in March 2026. The proposals drew about 130 objections, and Tynemouth MP Sir Alan Campbell wrote to the council opposing the plans.

North Tyneside Council's Labour administration welcomed the government's move, saying the case showed why the law had to change.

"North Tyneside Labour has been clear that local communities should have a real say over what opens on their doorstep. The 24-hour gambling venue in North Shields showed exactly why the law needs to change," a spokesperson for the group said in comments reported by ChronicleLive.

Industry and Councils React

Speaking about the reforms, Burnham said the government was "giving communities more control over planning when it comes to vape shops, adult gaming centres, and also the proliferation of betting shops, by removing the aim to permit."

The Betting and Gaming Council said it supported "tough action against criminal operators" and agreed "local people should have a proper say over their high streets," but pushed back on the idea that betting shops were spreading unchecked, noting the sector supports tens of thousands of jobs. The Local Government Association described the changes as a "positive step" for councils.

The proposals are set out in the government's high street plans published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which said the measures would be put out to consultation shortly, followed by legislation. Councils have lobbied for the changes since the 2023 gambling white paper, echoing an earlier push to let councils block new betting shops, and campaigners will be watching how quickly they take effect.