The gambling chain Merkur Slots has asked for permission to open a betting shop in Leyton, months after councillors turned down its plans for a 24-hour venue in Hoe Street.
The company has lodged plans with Waltham Forest Council to convert the former Costa in Lea Bridge Road, which has been closed since late 2025. Documents submitted to the planning department earlier this month say the shop would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It would be two doors down from a William Hill.
A general "design standards" template in the application says the shop would be monitored by CCTV inside and out.
Second attempt after Hoe Street refusal
The company's application for a 24-hour betting shop in Hoe Street was rejected in April, the first time one of its applications had been turned down. Councillors on the gambling committee said they were "not convinced" by Merkur Slots' argument that most people using its shops in the early hours were hospitality workers unwinding after their shifts.
The company's case
In the new documents, Merkur objects to the term "betting shop" and prefers "adult gaming centre". It says its venues are "often, unfortunately," called betting shops because of a "widespread misunderstanding of how gaming centres operate and who our customers are".
Its nine-page "planning brochure" argues that a new Merkur Slots on the high street is a "good thing". It says the venue would not be a "noisy neighbour", that staff are trained in safeguarding, and that it would bring up to 12 local jobs, £450,000 of investment and more footfall.
A decision is due by 14 December, six weeks after the plans were submitted. Merkur Slots has more than 230 shops across the UK.
