Southwark Council to refuse licenses

Did anybody read this in the londonpaper yesterday? Apparently Southwark Council is looking at declaring Shad Thames, Borough and Bankside as "saturation zones" when it comes to new alcohol licences?

londonpaper wrote:

As well as refusing to give licences to new businesses in the zones, the council will not let existing outlets - which also includes off-licences - ­extend their opening hours.

http://www.thelondonpaper.com/cs/Satellite/london/news/article/1157158398824?packedargs=aid%3D1157158398824%26suffix%3DArticleController

It's a bit of an old story.

They decided not to go ahead with the Shad Thames saturation zone last year and it was also deemed unnecessary for Elephant & Castle.

Old Kent Road was consulted on at the end of last year, and Borough & Bankside should come back to the licensing committee soon with new crime data.

Here's our story from when the OKR consultation was agreed:
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/3525

thelondonpaper overstates the effect of such a policy - if eventually implemented.

It's not a case of the council "refusing to give licences", it means that applicants have to work a bit harder to demonstrate that their premises won't exacerbate problems in a given area. So the burden of proof is higher.

Interestingly the data shown to the committee for Borough & Bankside (NB the proposed saturation zone is not coterminous with the community council area) showed a hotspot for late-night violence against the person (VAP) offences around Borough High Street and St George's Circus.

Thanks James... so bit of a quiet news day at the londonpaper Towers then :) Interesting to see, once again, how the press can twist a story, and an old one at that!

Here's the latest on this from last night's licensing committee:
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/3796

Most depressing revelation was that the council hired InSpire (the crypt of St Peter's Walworth) for a public meeting on the Old Kent Road possible saturation policy but no-one turned up.

It didn't help that the venue was some distance from the OKR, and the publicity was almost non-existent. We certainly would have plugged the meeting had we known the details.

James Hatts wrote:

Interestingly the data shown to the committee for Borough & Bankside (NB the proposed saturation zone is not coterminous with the community council area) showed a hotspot for late-night violence against the person (VAP) offences around Borough High Street and St George's Circus.

Is it known where on Borough High Street the violence happens, James? I've seen several fights outside Belushi's (vile place) but nothing anywhere else on BHS.

The hotspot map is rather badly reproduced in the committee papers (and isn't in the online version) but yes, the BHS hotspot seems to be around Borough Station and the section of street to the north of that point.

There is also a VAP hotspot around London Bridge Station (Weston Street and thereabouts)

Businesses are having such a hard time at the moment and people drink more when they are stressed. But it is typical of the council that their only solution is to penalise the people who generate their revenue and pay many people's wages. Yes, it is disturbing for the residents so why not just put more police on the streets at night when the pubs are closing?

Loanna Morrison
Bermondsey resident
and Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Bermondsey and Old Southwark

The consultation questionnaire for Borough & Bankside is now available here:
http://www.southwark.gov.uk/BusinessCentre/Licensing/LicensingNewsUpdate/

Deadline is 29 May.

See map here: http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/3796 (area marked in blue)

I just don't understand why they haven't included the Waterloo part of Southwark, it's like they've forgotten us, but a lot of bars can be squeezed into a small area.

In responce to Loanna's comment, people might drink more when they are stressed, but that isn't a good thing. Drinking is often a very anti-social activity, and it's about more than the violence it generates, the police (who have enough to do already) won't stop noise and litter, and are unlikely to stop people using the area as a toilet.

Small businesses are the lifeblood of the local economy. It is their success which makes the area attractive so finding a compromise is essential. In a recession we need to keep as many people employed as possible and stifling businesses is not the best way to do this.