Bookmakers turned down for the second time

An application for a betting premises licence for a bookmakers in the centre of Kirkwall was refused by Orkney Islands Area Licensing Board this afternoon, Thursday, at the end of four hours of deliberation.

This is the second time such an application has been made by the same company, the first having been refused earlier this year.

This fresh application attracted numerous objections, against turning a former toy shop into a bookmakers, and included a petition containing over 700 names against the proposal.

It was eventually refused today, following a vote of 5-2 against, after a lengthy meeting which saw those for and against the application airing their submissions in the council chamber in Kirkwall.

MAB Bookmakers Ltd, trading as Laidlaws Bookmakers, originally applied for a licence for its Bridge Street premises earlier this year, which was heard by the Licensing Board back in March.

That application was refused, following highly vocal concerns over plans to install four fixed-odds betting terminals, which the company again proposed to do.

At the meeting this afternoon, it was stated that the company is at present appealing against the previous decision to refuse the licence, which is said to be going through the court process at the moment.

At the beginning of the meeting it was stated by the applicant that the appeal had been put on hold, pending the outcome of the decision today.

However, when asked to talk to The Orcadian after the meeting, Murray Bringhurst, from the company behind the proposals, refused to comment and left the council offices.