Borough eyes zoning, 'one strike' policy on underage sales in licensing plan

Zoning across the borough, a ‘one strike’ policy towards underage sales of alcohol, a late night levy and early morning restriction orders are among measures in a draft licensing plan put out for consultation by a London council.

Under the zoning model, Lambeth would define closing times for variations and new premises licence applications.

These times will vary according to the nature and location of the premises concerned. Pubs and wine bars in residential areas would, for example, be required to shut at 11 pm daily, while their counterparts in ‘major town centres’ would have to shut at 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays and 12 am from Sunday to Thursday.

Writing in the foreword to the new policy, Cllr Jack Hopkins, Cabinet Member for Public Protection, and Cllr Leanne Targett-Parker, chair of the licensing committee, wrote: “The introduction of the Clapham saturation zone will take some time to bed down and resolve some issues which remain and require our enforcement attention, but leads us to have confidence that zoning across the Borough is the right way to go.

“This will give clarity to businesses that wish to or already do operate in Lambeth, as well as for residents about what is and is not acceptable in their neighbourhoods. Zoning will help us manage development of night time economies to ensure that safety and security is not lost in the rush to support business communities.”

In a bid further to tackle underage drinking, the council said it would ­– in addition to replacing its existing ‘three strikes’ policy with a ‘one strike’ policy – conduct more undercover test purchases and encourage businesses to adopt the Challenge 25 strategy.

Lambeth added that it wanted businesses to show they were taking the issue of sex crime seriously.

This would include giving customers numbers for trusted minicabs, and ensuring all minicabs operating outside the premises are vetted; providing safe places for women to sober up before leaving bars and nightclubs; and giving staff specific training on how to identify and deal with sexual harassment.

Lambeth meanwhile said it wanted to bring about better cooperation through:

• “requirements that license holders demonstrate that they know their area and have engaged with neighbours;
• a joint commitment to enforce the terms of licenses; this applies to residents’ groups and licensee forums, but also to individual residents and businesses;
• ‘Purple flag’ schemes (which reward good management of town centres at night) and other forms of accreditation – signifying partnership between businesses, residents and authorities; and
• evidence of voluntary self-policing by businesses; elsewhere self-imposed policies like ‘no single can sales’ have helped generate confidence among residents.”

The council insisted that it wanted “more geographical balance and more emphasis on neighbourhood”.

It added that in future it wanted licence holders to show, amongst other things, that they have engaged with the local community and show that they know the physical, economic and social challenges facing the area – “and have thought about how to overcome them”.

Businesses applying for a licence will be required to provide a clearly structured schedule of opening hours, as well as a plan for adapting to the neighbourhood.

Justifying the changes, Lambeth said: “Since the 2003 Licensing Act, which allowed longer opening hours, Lambeth has seen an explosion in its night time economy. We now have more licensed premises than almost anywhere in Britain.

“This has attracted visitors and boosted the economy, but it has also brought problems. Lambeth now has the UK’s 7th highest rate of alcohol related crime, as well as a range of issues to do with safety and social cohesion.

The consultation on the revised licensing policy, which can be viewed here, finishes on 7 October 2013.