The unwelcome sight of vacant shops around town and city centres has become a feature of this recession as businesses close through lack of trade.

Few, if any, areas have been spared, though the problem in Bradford has surely been compounded by the stalled Westfield shopping development.

That has starved the city centre of customers, making life doubly hard for traders struggling to make a go of things in these tough times.

And it is a vicious circle – if a shop closes, that makes an area less appealing to shoppers, their numbers fall, and so life gets harder still for those stores which remain.

That being the case, it would be reasonable to assume that any new arrival in Bradford would be welcomed by the Chamber of Trade.

Not so, it seems. It is concerned that the latest venture is yet another betting shop rather than a retailer and says the city is fast becoming Las Vegas without the glamour.

It wants planners to oppose any similar applications in the future.

Those at City Hall, meanwhile, say they are aware of the issue but sometimes rules mean their hands are tied – as is the case here.

It would seem that the two sides are in broad agreement.

Perhaps now they may want to work more closely together to ensure the right mix is achieved, including finding new ways to attract other sorts of businesses to the city.