This is what is planned for the old Burger King building in Chesterfield town centre

Cashino Gaming Limited, trading as Merkur Slots, wants to breathe new life into 1-2 Steeplegate.

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The company has submitted a planning application to Chesterfield Borough Council as well as a premises licence application under the Gambling Act 2005.

A spokesperson for Cashino Gaming Ltd told the Derbyshire Times: “The application will see approximately £300,000 spent on the fit out.

“It is anticipated that between eight and 12 jobs will be created by the project.

“Town centres across the UK have been decimated by the Covid pandemic and our aim is simple – we want to do our bit to reinvigorate high streets and get life in Britain back to normal as quickly as possible, while at the same time creating new jobs in the local areas.”

Documents supporting the planning application state: “The proposal involves the bringing back of a long-standing vacant unit into beneficial use.

“The proposed 24-hour opening is considered to be acceptable and will not give rise to any undue noise and disturbance to town centre residents.”

The premises would contain bingo machines and tablets, not controversial fixed odds betting terminals.

The machines offer low stakes of between 10p and £2.

The documents add: “48 per cent of customers are female.

“Adult gaming centres are where people go to spend their spare change, have a game of bingo and enjoy their favourite pastime – these machines have been around for many years.

“Customers visit on their own or in couples – large groups are rare.

“The customer base during the late evening and into the early hours is predominantly the local entertainment workforce and shift workers who like to relax after their busy shifts.”

Franchisee SSP Group PLC operated the Burger King restaurant but it closed in 2014.

A spokesperson for SSP Group PLC said: "Unfortunately, a combination of factors meant it was no longer commercially viable for us to continue trading at the site.”

The building had very recently been on the market with rent of £65,000 per annum. Business rates payable in 2019-20 were £29,484.

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