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| Brown ditches super-casino plan | |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The government has dropped plans to build a super-casino in Manchester, the BBC has learned. | |
| But it has decided it will still go ahead with 16 smaller casinos in different parts of the country. | But it has decided it will still go ahead with 16 smaller casinos in different parts of the country. |
| Gordon Brown ordered a review of the plans shortly after he became Prime Minister last year. | Gordon Brown ordered a review of the plans shortly after he became Prime Minister last year. |
| The proposals are confirmed in a letter to the Scottish and Welsh executives and a formal announcement will be made to parliament in a few weeks. | The proposals are confirmed in a letter to the Scottish and Welsh executives and a formal announcement will be made to parliament in a few weeks. |
| It was thought the super-casino would attract up to £265m of private investment and create about 3,000 jobs as well as regenerating a run-down area of east Manchester. | |
| But Gordon Brown put the plans on hold and asked Communities Secretary Hazel Blears to carry out a review into other ways to regenerate Manchester. | But Gordon Brown put the plans on hold and asked Communities Secretary Hazel Blears to carry out a review into other ways to regenerate Manchester. |
| Senior councillors in the city have said they would seek a judicial review if plans were dropped. | Senior councillors in the city have said they would seek a judicial review if plans were dropped. |
| 'Sour losers' | |
| Manchester City Council is refusing to comment at this stage, but last year council leader Richard Leese expressed concern at the lack of progress on the casino and requested a visit to Downing Street to talk to Mr Brown. | |
| At the time he wrote: "I've asked for this meeting with the Prime Minister because there seems to be no progress on our plans to create a Leisure City, anchored by an international destination casino. | |
| "Twelve months ago an independent panel recommended that Manchester should be granted permission to licence the only British regional casino following a rigorous inspection and examination process. | |
| "But the project has been stalled by controversy including sour losers, inaccurate information, a vote in the unelected House of Lords and then a Government review." |