Plans for a £35m casino, hotel and leisure complex were approved today (27 November) by Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

The complex, called The Edge, have been put forward by Pleasure and Leisure Corporation (PLC) – owner of the Pleasure Beach attraction – in collaboration with Aspers Casino, as part of a bid to secure a large casino licence allocated to the town by central government. If the licence is won, the 100,000sq ft (9,290sq m) development will contain a 65,000 sq ft casino featuring roulette, gaming tables, slot machines with jackpots up to £4,000, restaurants, bars, a beauty salon, an iPod lounge and facilities for live entertainment.

The plans for the complex will be located on a former caravan park next to the outer harbour. for a former caravan park next to the outer harbour. The complex, designed by architectural firm ColladoCollins, will also include a 138-room hotel, a multiplex eight-screen cinema and an 18-lane bowling alley. According to Jones a number of "blue chip companies within the leisure industry" have already been selected as potential tenants.

Albert Jones, managing director of PLC, said construction on his plan could begin quickly if approval is granted, making for a potential 2012 opening. “We have the empty site, planning details, and funding in place,” he said.

Construction on the winning scheme will not begin until at least 2010, when the council reaches a decision on a casino license, which could take at least 18 months. There are, reportedly, other developers looking to get their hands on the licence with intentions to build a casino complex on the council-owned Golden Mile site currently occupied by the Marina Centre and on river bank sites. But no other schemes have reached the formal planning stage.