900 Saying “No” to William Hill’s New Betting Shop in Glossop

A woman in Glossop is trying to stop a gambling company from turning a listed building into a betting shop.

Bookmakers already have a bad image in England, considering how much money people are losing playing their “toxic” fixed odds betting terminals, but William Hill – the company that owns the most profitable betting shops and online sportsbooks in England – is about to make some more enemies.

The bookmaker has been given permission to renovate the former chemists Finlay McKinlay on High Street West and this is making some locals very angry.

It seems like the High Peak Borough Council didn’t give things much thought when it granted the company permission to change the look of the iconic edifice. The listed building is about to get a “tune-up” with new windows, door and signage. The renovation of the building includes minor internal and external work, the installation of a satellite dish, a television aerial and two air conditioning units.

From chemist shop to bookies?

Finlay McKinlays is one of Glossop’s most distinctive buildings and British gambling news say nearly 900 locals have already signed Bethany O’Toole’s petition to stop William Hill from turning it into a modern betting shop.

“To see this beautiful shop turned into a bookmakers, something the High Street does not need, would be a terrible shame,” the woman said. In 2012, Madison Commercial tried to obtain a permit to turn Finlay McKinlay into a building for “financial and professional services” but the local council said no.

The building served as a chemist since 1838 and bore the Duke of Norfolk’s ducal warrant above the door for 150 years.