Covent Garden London
The heart of London's West End
A Good Night Out!2. THE BACKGROUND2.1 INTRODUCTION 2.2 HOW THE WORKING PARTY WENT ABOUT ITS TASK 2.3 THE AREA 2.4 THE GROWTH IN DEMAND 2.5 THE GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF LICENSED PREMISES 2.6 THE MOVE TOWARDS 24 HOUR TRADING 2.1. INTRODUCTION Police/Community Consultative Groups The working Party was set up in April 1996 with the aims and objectives listed in Appendix 1 at the request of the Central Westminster Police and Community Consultative Group (PCCG). It has also had input and support from representatives of the other two Westminster PCCG's. Location Its focus has mainly been on Soho, Covent Garden and the West End, but the Working Party recognises that similar issues face other areas of Westminster, for example Queensway. Indeed, the issues are not confined to Westminster and apply to other neighbouring London Boroughs as well as other cities in the U.K. A recent survey by the London Planning Advisory Committee found that two thirds of all London Boroughs are experiencing major difficulties with the operation of the A3 Use Class. Parts of cities outside London may also face similar concerns. Core Issue The issue can be summarised as the tensions between two sections of society. Those who live and/or work in Central Westminster and those who come to it for entertainment. Benefits of Co-existence There are many healthy spin offs from the interrelationship between residents and workers/visitors to the area and these should not be underestimated. There is clear benefit from the food and leisure industries in the area who also employ large numbers of people. The licensed trade is an important and vital part of the economy of this part of Westminster and contributes greatly to its life and atmosphere as the entertainment centre of a world class capital city. Problems of Co-existence However, there are difficulties in relation to how the environment is used as a place of entertainment. These primarily relate to the issues of opening hours, noise, numbers of people and nuisance. Most premises cause no difficulty, a minority do. However, more and more premises are changing their character, applying for longer opening hours and blurring the distinction between public and private space. The Working Party recognises the value of the licensed trade to the West End and wishes it to be able to operate securely within an effective regulatory framework which properly takes into account the interests of residents. Purpose of Report The purpose of this report is to make a balanced set of proposals which, if implemented, will modernise and streamline various forms of licensing but also take better account of the concerns of residents who have witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of licenced premises and the problems they can cause. 2.2 HOW THE WORKING PARTY WENT ABOUT ITS TASK Consultees The Working Party has representatives from the Metropolitan Police and Westminster City Council officials experienced in licensing and environmental protection. There are also experienced licensees, long term residents, amenity society representatives and representatives from breweries (See Appendix 2) Method of Work The Working Party has exchanged and shared evidence on the basis of the experience of each member and this has been debated. In addition we have invited presentations from individuals from other bodies to cover aspects we were not familiar with. This information has also been discussed. Representations We have had presentations from the Crown Prosecution Service, the Metropolitan Police Solicitors Department, the London Fire Service, Westminster City Councillors and officers servicing WCC's Licensing Sub-Committee and WCC enforcement officers. The only refusals to attend were from local Magistrates and their clerks on the grounds that to do so might prejudice their judicial independence, although we have had individual attendances from a JP and a Clerk to the Justices.(Appendix 14) Data Some background statistical evidence has also been presented by Working Party representatives and invited participants but it has not been possible to test the accuracy of these statistics. Parliamentary The Rt. Hon. Peter Brooke MP as local Member of Parliament has received our minutes and has helped the work of the Working Party in correspondence and in Parliament. As an example, he was the sole, and effective, objector to a Sundays (Dancing and Licensing) Bill which would have further deregulated entertainment and liquor licensing on Sundays and which local residents feared could lead to increased disturbance. 2.3 THE AREA Characteristics of Soho and Covent Garden. Most people would think of Soho and Covent Garden as being at the heart of the West End. This is the name given to the entertainment area of Central London. Both areas were developed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and many of the original buildings survive. Today, they are an intimate mix of residents and businesses, large and small. There are retail shops and supermarkets, fashion and boutiques, advertising and PR Companies, those associated with film, video and television, the theatres and creative arts, books and publishing and a wide range of supporting service businesses. Residential accommodation is found in a wide variety of locations, purpose built council flats, housing association schemes of social housing or as privately owned /rented flats and houses. Much of this accommodation is over a ground floor commercial use. Within this already busy context of activity there is a further range of uses; pubs, restaurants, clubs and bars (Map 1). Policy Context To respect the historic nature of these areas, Westminster City Council have designated a series of conservation areas which cover virtually the whole area and prevent comprehensive redevelopment of whole blocks of property. The Westminster Unitary Development Plan however defines the concept of a Central Activities Zone which includes Soho and Covent Garden and guides entertainment users towards it. Westminster City Council has already recognised that increasing entertainment can cause problems to residential amenity and the street environment and produced Stress Area reports in 1993 and 1994 which recognised the problem faced by Soho in particular, although there was a strong emphasis on controlling illegal sex related businesses. Westminster City Council's interest in helping to safeguard a 'world class' city We believe Westminster City Council has a key interest in preserving and enhancing the reputation of Westminster and London as a whole. As the strategic decision making authority for the area, it is in their interest to ensure a well managed entertainment sector with proper facilities, decision making and enforcement. Established businesses, residents and many of the restaurants and pubs will want to support Westminster in preventing and controlling uses which detract from the West End's character and reputation or which take it down market. Active Management We believe the approach should be to actively manage the centre of our capital city for the benefit of visitors, businesses and residents by setting out clear and enforceable policies, to devote sufficient resources to monitor them and to take action where necessary to see that they are working. Westminster City Council should not let itself be put in the position of simply deciding upon individual planning and entertainment licenses on the basis of supply and demand. 2.4 THE GROWTH IN DEMAND Changes in Society Everywhere there are commentators telling us that society is changing - and changing fast. This is certainly true in entertainment. There has been a steady and rising trend in the number of people eating out, a change in eating habits to a wider range of cuisine, fast food eating and take-away facilities. More and more premises are providing facilities to eat outside. Shopping is more diverse with specialist centres like the Trocadero. Late night shopping means supermarkets now stay open until 10:00pm or later. While television still exerts an iron grip, it has proved no total substitute for entertainment outside the home. There has been a resurgence of cinema audiences. There is a continuing growth in the number and size of clubs and discotheques. They stay open longer, there are increasingly sophisticated and powerful sound amplification systems within premises, as well as some of the cars which cruise the area. Changes in Licensing Law Licensing law has been amended by deregulation initiatives under the last Government and is now less rigid. It is common for pubs and bars to open throughout the day and restrictions on Sunday trading have been largely done away with. Public transport now provides more reliable late night bus services. Car ownership has continued to grow among all age groups. Late night traffic to the West End has effectively been encouraged as parking late in the evening is seen as easier to find than during the day. So, there are more people visiting the West End from morning until late at night and there are an increasing range of premises to cater for them. 2.5 THE GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF LICENSED PREMISES Increases in Restaurant Premises There are a number of indicators to demonstrate the recent rapid growth in licensed premises in central Westminster. For example, the Soho Society received notice of 194 applications for restaurant use in Soho in a five year period between 1992 and 1997. WCC Planning Department calculates that at least 25,200 sq. metres (265,000 sq. ft.) of restaurant space has been created in Soho in the same period. In the Westminster part of Covent Garden, WCC's figures for the five year period are 33 applications representing 14,000 sq. meters (146,500 sq. ft.) of additional space. Night Cafe Concentration In terms of night cafes the following figures (1998) for wards in Westminster shows the heavy concentration in West End Ward.
* Hyde Park and Bryanston Wards are separated by Edgware Road which contains all the Night Cafes of these two wards and totals 31 premises. Only Certain premises cause a problem It is only certain types of premises which cause problems for residents. Those that, in effect, seek to use the public domain for their own commercial purposes. These tend to be: 1. Operations which allow substantial numbers of people to drink outside their premises. 2. Operations with openable shopfronts which allows noise to be heard over a wide area 3. Operations with tables and chairs on the pavement which may or may not be licensed and which tend to spill over the pavement causing obstruction and also creating noise over a wide area. 4. Operations which run until the early hours of the morning and which are situated near residential accommodation. 5. Very large bar operations which seem to encourage or condone 'loutish behaviour'. 6. Restaurants, bars and shops which blare out loud music into the streets as a way of attracting custom. 2.6 THE MOVE TOWARDS 24 HOUR TRADING Staying up late Over the last 40 years there has been a marked and increasing trend to extend entertainment into the early hours of the morning. Disposable incomes are on average far higher in real terms than ever before. Technological developments and computerisation have revolutionised home entertainment and people are accustomed to staying up later as most work has become less physically tiring. Factors influencing changes Affluence, more flexible working hours, shift working to cover 24 hour production, unemployment and large numbers of tourists may partially explain why there is demand so late at night. Changing family structures, changed moral norms, less obvious religious observance, an emphasis on personal freedom and self realisation, all mean there are less restrictions on young people than in previous generations, for example, being able to go out alone or to stay out until very late. The economics of the 24 hour city The globalisation of finance and the economy has also meant earlier starts and later hours to catch other time zones. Traffic congestion means that deliveries are made earlier in the morning and later at night to save money and time. Businesses wish to increase their turnover by increasing their trading hours. Supermarkets are experimenting with 24 hour opening. While there is increased demand every night of the week, it is most marked on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Clubbing Entertainment has expanded to meet the demand. Radio, then television started broadcasting throughout the night some years ago. Cinemas have moved to provide late shows starting after or around midnight, principally on Friday/Saturday nights. It is not surprising that restaurants, bars and clubs should also increase, or that those in existence should seek later and later hours to respond to the changing patterns and seek to secure competitive advantage. As an example, in 1986 there were 17 Night Cafe (food premises open between midnight and 5 am) licences in the City Of Westminster. In 1997 there were over 150. The residents respond 24 hour trading is relentlessly squeezing out 'quiet time' for residents in the West End. Because of its concern, as one of its first actions, the Working Party responded to the deregulation consultation exercise on the 'Proposed Changes to the Licensing of Late Night Refreshment Houses and Night Cafes' and a 'Review of Public Entertainment Licensing' putting forward constructive criticism. The Chairman also attended two meetings (set up by Rt. Hon. Peter Brooke, the local MP). The first on 17.7.96 with Mr. Timothy Kirkhope MP, the then Minister of State at the Home Office to express residents concerns. See Appendix 3 [currently unavailable on-line ]. The Chairman also formed part of a delegation to Mr. George Howarth MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Home Office on 13.7.98 where Mr. Howarth made it clear that he was very aware of our concerns and understood them. A Good Night Out - Index A Good Night Out - 3. THE PROBLEMS |
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