Stanley Leisure, a major casino operator in the U.K., has announced plans to build a £125 million hotel and gambling complex in Leeds.
Stanley to build a £125 million casino-hotel in Leeds
Stanley Leisure, a major casino operator in the U.K., has announced plans to build a £125 million hotel and gambling complex in Leeds , The Guardian reported.
The company said the casino will be built on a seven-acre site next to Leeds United's Elland Road stadium, and would generate over 1,000 jobs. Stanley has already spent £5 million buying Leeds United Properties, a subsidiary of the cash-strapped club, whose sole asset was an option to purchase the land.
Stanley's Leeds venture will feature a 150,000 sq. ft. casino as well as a hotel, restaurants, bars, leisure facilities and designer shops. The company said the site, which is close to the M1 and M62, has a catchment area of more than one million adults living within an hour's drive.
"We are delighted to announce the development of this exceptional site in Leeds, which we believe is the best location for a casino in the north of England," Bob Wiper, Stanley's chief executive, said.
"We plan to build an exciting casino complex to rival any other development in the UK, which will be a huge entertainment attraction of which the region can be proud."
Stanley's announcement comes five days after Caesars Entertainment, the owner of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, revealed plans to build a £330 million casino complex next to Wembley stadium in a joint venture with the UK property developer Quintain Estates.
Caesars' rival Las Vegas Sands has announced proposals to build a casino next to another Yorkshire football stadium, Sheffield United's, as well as at Glasgow Rangers and West Ham United.
Stanley said it was in discussions with potential partners for the Leeds project, which it expects to complete by the end of 2007. It added that before then, it expects its Star City casino in Birmingham to achieve regional casino status, "soon after the new legislation is introduced".
