U.K. City Nixes Barrière Plan

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The Leeds City Council has rejected a project that would have seen France’s Lucien Barrière group establish its first casino in the U.K.

The plan called for a casino, restaurant, music performance space, dance club and conference facility to open inside the historic Majestyk Cinema building, situated on City Square in the middle of Leeds. The investment was pegged at £14 million.

For the project, Barrière was teamed with Luminar Group Holdings plc in a company called Waterside Limited, which owns the cinema site. Luminar owns and operates some 90 nightlife establishments in the U.K. that feature dining, drinking and dancing.

Waterside Limited is now reviewing options, reports the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Andrew Duckworth, spokesman for Luminar, said, “We are of course very disappointed at the outcome and believe that this is the wrong decision. Our proposal was about providing something truly new to the people of Leeds, generating new jobs in the area and also helping complete the regeneration of Leeds City Square.”

Kevin Grady, director of Leeds Civic Trust, a city heritage advocate, wants to see the building house a live music venue.

Grady said in a statement, “The people of Leeds are constantly crying out for more live music venues in the city center.”

The Majestyk Cinema opened in 1922 and was one of the U.K.’s largest movie theaters, seating almost 2,400. In 1969 it was turned into a bingo hall, and in 1993 the Majestyk nightclub opened. The building has been closed since June 2006.