PLANS to turn a betting shop into an adult gaming centre have been approved - on the condition the new business has products for sale in its window.

Planning officers added the unusual condition when they granted permission for the change of use of the Royal Bet shop on Bridge Street - opposite City Hall.

They said it would mean the unit - in the heart of the city centre, would retain an "active frontage" even though it was no longer being used as a shop.

The change of use application, submitted by Alexander Stuart, was approved earlier this month, and came weeks after a similar application for the same premises was refused. With that application the Council had questioned if the unit had ever been granted permission to open as a betting shop.

But approving the latest plans, officers said a premises license for a betting shop for this unit had been obtained in 2013.

They added: "It is possible to condition that the shop front be used at all times of the display of retail goods to ensure that an active frontage is maintained. Subject to such a condition the principle of the development is considered to be acceptable."

One objector had raised concerns that drug users pick up their medication from a neighbouring pharmacy. But planning officers replied: "The function of a pharmacy is to distribute medication to members of the public. It is not the role of the planning system to regulate where users of the pharmacy go after collecting their medication."

An adult gaming centre is an arcade open to adults only.