Islington Council has turned down plans for another betting shop in Caledonian Road.

Paddy Power wanted to take over an empty unit at number 325. It would have been the third in a small cluster, with Ladbrokes at 291 and William Hill at 312.

Paddy Power required licensing and planning permission. Licensing was granted at the start of this month, but a council planning sub-committee decided against the planning application at a town hall meeting last night.

Caledonian ward Cllr Paul Convery had previously spoken against the plans. In October, he said: “There’s nothing wrong with a flutter. But evidence shows betting shops don’t pop up in affluent areas.

“They cluster in places where the least advantaged people live. There are already two close by and we believe this kind of clustering has adverse consequences.”