 IT could form a gleaming new landmark on Liverpool's waterfront and create 1,000 new jobs. But the proposed development of a £50m super-casino at Queen's Dock has sparked controversy. Last month council chiefs voiced opposition to the plans, arguing that it will plunge financially vulnerable families who can't stop gambling into greater difficulties. But according to Amaury Taittinger, the champagne heir whose company is behind the plan, it will transform Liverpool's social scene. He says it will attract customers with no interest in gambling who just want a good night out. If approved, the existing Leo Casino will be significantly extended and the neighbouring two-star Dolby Hotel demolished. The new development will feature banqueting facilities for 500 and a conference centre to hold 1,000. It will be surrounded bya host of bars, restaurants anda nightclub, giving revellersa wide choice of destination. As well as winning the approval of the council, the scheme must also gain government backing. Only eight super-casinos will be allowed to open across the UK, and probably only one in the north west. A planning statement to Liverpool council askd: "Why not a European-class leisure casino for Liverpool, well adapted to its needs?" Mr Taittinger's company, Hotel & Investment Management, says it wants to "bringa continental style of leisure development to Liverpool in time for the city to be crowned European Capital of Culture in 2008. "The new extended casino would be modelled on the European style proved and tested over the past 50 years in France, rather than the brash American style." Mr Taittinger owns casinos across Europe, including the newly-opened Palais de la Mediterranee in Nice. But his company also has strong links with Liverpool, where it started investing in 1988 with the Campanile hotel. The Dolby hotel followed five years later, and it launched the Leo Casino in 2002. | 
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