Plans for a new 'super-casino' in Manchester have been scrapped by the government.
The super-casino was planned for 'Sportcity' in Beswick, East Manchester, near the City of Manchester Stadium.
The government said that it is looking at alternative regeneration projects for East Manchester. Manchester City Council may appeal against the government's about-turn on the super-casino.
Your views and experiences:
I recently moved to East Manchester and the area badly needs regenerating. The super-casino would have created 3,000 jobs in an area that needs them. Manchester City Council would be right to appeal. The residents have lost out.
Lee Gellatly, Beswick, Manchester
My wife and I bought a new apartment in "Sportcity" in Beswick three years ago. A major consideration was that the area was going to be redeveloped. With over a million pounds of tax payers' money effectively down the drain, this about-turn by the government is shameful. The new proposed schemes will take forever to get off the ground, setting back the regeneration of a very poor area.
Adrian Kirk, Beswick, Manchester
I think this is great news. I never quite understood how opening a super-casino would help regenerate the area. How about spending the money on improving local facilities, working on projects with children in Beswick and trying to develop a sense of community? Regeneration shouldn't be about bringing rich people in and moving local people out, it should be about trying to improve what is already there.
As a resident of Openshaw (next to Beswick) in East Manchester I am delighted that the super-casino will not be going ahead. East Manchester is so run-down and deprived that it would be catastrophic for the community to have the huge temptation of a casino on the doorstep. The city council should be concentrating on regenerating this area in a meaningful way: transport (we're still waiting for the Metrolink), better housing, jobs and shops.
I'm disgusted that the government has decided to appease the Daily Mail readers in the Home Counties at the expense of Manchester. The replacement 'regeneration package' that the government has proposed won't do nearly enough. Manchester City Council should take legal action against the government until it promises to provide the full 3,000 jobs that the casino would have brought.
I live a few miles from the site of the planned casino. It would have bought as much "regeneration" as the stadium did. That is, nothing for the normal people. The promised public transport tram link for the Commonwealth Games has never arrived. I don't think the casino would have benefited anyone really so it's no great loss.
This is a slap in the face for Manchester. Does Gordon Brown have any idea of the social deprivation in Beswick? Clearly not. 3,000 jobs down the pan and an opportunity for urban regeneration squandered. For shame that he should call himself a socialist.
D Hague, Manchester
I live about a mile away from the proposed Casino site. I always said it was the worst possible way to regenerate the area. If the super-casino had gone ahead, the area would have ended up in turmoil, with gambling becoming an everyday occurrence. Well done Gordon Brown!
Matthew Humphreys, Gorton, Manchester
I live just up the road from the proposed site. I would prefer the available money to be spent on transport, health or education instead of promoting and encouraging gambling.
Kevin Hunt, Moston, Manchester
Manchester doesn't need any more casinos, we have dozens already. We are a huge city, second only to London in terms of amenities and local economy. Sure, East Manchester is a dive but there are better ways to regenerate than a large casino. If people want to work, they already can, as Manchester hardly suffers from a lack of employment opportunities.
Chris Handley, Salford Quays, Manchester
My office is based in the area. This part of Manchester is in desperate need of investment to break a cycle of decline. What was great about the casino-resort plan was the wide range of jobs it would have created - many of which would have been accessible to the local population. I hope that any new plan isn't just based on new, less than affordable housing or another retail park.
As someone who works at the City of Manchester Stadium, I'm disappointed in the Government. The piece of land the casino should have been built on has been empty for almost ten years. It's such a waste, the casino could have been the jewel in the crown of the SportCity site.
John, Manchester, UK
Never mind Beswick, what about Blackpool? What about the town that came up with the idea in the first place and petitioned the Government to allow it? Do we not even get one of the smaller casinos? Blackpool is more urgently in need of regeneration than Manchester, London or any of the other suggested locations.
Robert Hill, Blackpool