Plan to use empty bank unit as betting shop rejected

A betting company's application to take over a unit previously used as a bank has been dismissed after a council said it had not proved it would "enhance vitality and viability".

Barclays last used the three-storey building in High Street, Maidenhead, in April 2024.

BoyleSports applied to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) to reuse it, but the authority rejected the application for the "prominent use" in the town centre.

The company told the council the unit being used would have benefited the surrounding area.

In August, the government said it would give councils more powers to block new betting shops from opening in a plan to improve high streets.

The Betting and Gaming Council said it supported the idea that "local people should have a proper say over their high streets".

But a spokesperson said it was "simply wrong" to suggest that betting shops are spreading "unchecked" and that about 3,000 shops had closed since 2019.

BoyleSports was approached to comment.

In November 2025, the Planning Inspectorate rejected a similar plan to use an empty unit in Slough's High Street from Done Brothers (Cash Betting) Ltd, which trades as Betfred.

Slough Borough Council dismissed the application on the grounds that it would have led to a "clustering" of betting shops in the town centre.

Planning inspector Alex Oyebade agreed and dismissed the company's appeal.