Castle Bromwich Community Website

Solihull Council has received two applications for the grant of a large casino licence.

The two applications are for a large casino at the National Exhibition Centre, applicant Genting Casinos UK limited, and on the former Dave & Buster site (Otium Leisure Park), Highlands Road, Shirley, applicant Grosvenor Casinos Limited.

A report will be submitted to the Solihull Licensing Committee on September 15th when the applications will be judged according to the criteria set down within the Gambling Act 2001.

If both applications meet the initial criteria, the Council will begin the second stage of the application process, where each applicant will outline the benefits that their large casino will bring to the borough. The licence will then be awarded to the applicant who would, in the Council’s opinion, bring the greatest economic, financial and social benefits to the area. However, the Council still reserves the right to pass a “No Casino Resolution” should it be considered that by granting a casino licence insufficient benefits would be available to the borough.

Representations in respect of these applications must be made in writing by Friday 27 August 2010 and sent to gmorrice@solihull.gov.uk or sent to The Licensing Manager, P O Box 1833, Council House, Solihull, B91 9DZ.

This article has been written by Shabbir Kaderbhai of Ellis Opticians

If you’re aged over 40 and are starting to have difficulty with reading, then you are probably suffering from presbyopia. This condition is caused by the natural aging process of your eyes, which affects their ability to focus easily on close objects. The result isblurred vision or tired eyes, especially when reading in poor light.

Presbyopia affects nearly everyone by their mid 40’s, but fortunately there are effective solutions for this condition. For example, if you have not needed vision correction before, you may now just require reading glasses for close up work.

But if you already wear spectacles, then you have several choices. You may decide to have different glasses for distance and reading, although this can be inconvenient. Or you may choose a pair that performs both functions, such as bifocals or varifocals(progressive) spectacles. Varifocals cost a bit more, but are increasingly popular because they enable you to focus at all distances and they don’t have any obvious dividing line across the lens like bifocals.

Presbyopia may not be a problem even if you wear contact lenses. There are now progressive contact lenses available for presbyopia, while some people find they can see well with a distance vision contact lens in one eye and a reading lens in their other eye. Others successfully use reading glasses over their contact lenses for close up.

The best option will depend on your optical prescription and lifestyle. Your optician will discuss these with you when advising on the most suitable lenses for presbyopia.

For further information on presbyopia, call Ellis Opticians on 0121 747 2115

Ellis Opticians is your local independent Opticians at 350 Bradford Rd., Castle Bromwich,Birmingham. B36 9AD Tel. 0121 747 2115