Bianca Jagger backs residents opposing 24-hour arcade at Earl’s Court station

Human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger has joined residents fighting plans for a gambling arcade that would open 24 hours a day opposite Earl’s Court Tube station.

Silvertime Amusements wants to move its shop to a bigger and more prominent site at 177-179 Earl’s Court Road. Jagger, 81, who lives near the station, spoke against the application at a residents’ event at St Cuthbert’s Church on Thursday 17 September. She said she was opposing it “as a mother and grandmother who cares about the fate of children and vulnerable people”.

Earl’s Court gambling arcade: what happens next

Kensington and Chelsea Council refused the application at the planning stage, but it has granted Silvertime a licence to operate. The venue cannot open without both planning and licensing consent.

Silvertime appealed against the Planning Sub-Committee’s refusal, so the Planning Inspectorate will make the final decision. The council has another chance to argue that the arcade should not go ahead. Arrangements for the appeal hearing are still to be announced.

Jagger heads The Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation. Her main objection is that the new premises would be larger and easier to see than Silvertime’s current venue. She pointed to the buses that stop by the station and the children who pass it every day on their way to school. She expects a hard fight and has promised to see the campaign through.

Councillor and MP back the residents

Linda Wade, a councillor for Earl’s Court, said families who had invested in their homes and in local shops were leaving because they do not feel safe. She said the council needed to “put their money where their mouth is” when the case goes to the inspectorate.

Joe Powell, MP for Kensington and Bayswater, told residents the application reflected a pattern seen in the capital and elsewhere in the UK. He said too many high streets were being taken over by such premises.

The operator’s case

Silvertime set out its position at a licensing hearing in August. Andrew Woods, the firm’s legal counsel, said it had run its present shop for ten years without trouble. In his view, the larger unit on Earl’s Court Road would give customers an improved space and room for more machines.