Families battling to stop a casino being developed on their doorsteps look set to have the winning hand. Blue Chip Casinos, which already runs gaming houses at Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton, wants to turn the Barleycorn pub in Bearwood Road, Bearwood, into a £1.4 million casino with an ocean liner theme. But members of Sandwell Council's planning committee - which meets on February 16 - are now being recommended to refuse the application. A planning department spokesman said the final decision would rest with councillors on the committee. But he revealed that a report going to the committee would be recommending the application be rejected. The spokesman said Blue Chip had suggested building a series of car ports to limit late-night noise and nuisance. "The car ports would be of a steel-frame construction with wooden panels," he said. "We do not consider the appearance of them to be acceptable in a built-up residential area so we shall be recommending the application be refused. "The committee does not have to go along with the recommendation, however, and we shall have to wait and see what happens at next week's meeting." Blue Chip has tried once before to get permission to turn the landmark Barleycorn into a casino. Their scheme was thrown out by the planning committee, a decision which was later upheld at a public inquiry. Residents' spokesman Jessica Hogan, who lives in Marlborough Road, said she was pleased councillors were being recommended to refuse the scheme, but families would remain vigilant. "We shall be attending next week's meeting anyway to give our views on this application," she said. "We do not want a casino on our doorsteps and we will not relax until the committee decision goes in our favour." | 
