Covent Garden London
The heart of London's West End
A Good Night Out!3. THE PROBLEMS3.1 BEHAVIOUR 3.2 NOISE 3.3 FOULING THE STREETS 3.4 RUBBISH 3.5 OBSTRUCTION 3.6 DRINKING ON THE STREET AND OTHER PUBLIC PLACES 3.7 DRINKING OUTSIDE A PUBLIC HOUSE 3.8 AIR QUALITY 3.9 TO SUMMARISE THE PROBLEMS 3.1 BEHAVIOUR There are repeated anecdotal reports in all media about bad behaviour which is alcohol related, from football stars on planes to 'rowdies' outside pubs. We are not aware of any objective studies of changing behaviour related to alcohol. However, we note that breweries will in future use fracture resistant glasses to lessen the damage that beer glasses can cause when used in fights and that individual members of the Working Party report increased incidents of drunken and rowdy behaviour by both individuals and groups. These incidents can have a disproportionate effect on general feelings of amenity and safety, in particular for local residents. Looser moral codes no longer provide an effective constraint to anti-social behaviour of this type. 3.2 NOISE Sound Amplication Just as new computers grow ever more powerful, virtually by the month, so have sound amplification systems. As an example, one mobile discotheque in 1972 had sound amplification capable of producing 100 watts. It was heavy and took nearly an hour to assemble or take apart. Now many car radios have sound systems of greater power at the flick of a switch. While high frequency noise does travel far, the bass notes can reverberate through many solid walls giving no tune but just the repetitive beat notes. Sound insulation an insufficient answer To counter this noise reverberation, sound insulation systems, while welcome, are expensive and even then often ineffective. Many of the buildings in the area were originally built in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and their form of construction (e.g. timber floors) does not make it possible to provide effective sound insulation. For example, the City of Westminster Noise Team have not noticed a trend towards complaints declining in those premises opened since the introduction of new Building Regulations. Again, there is a clear concentration of the problem in the West End. Out of 1218 noise complaints in Westminster as a whole, 421 were in the West End Ward and 169 in St. James's Ward, 48% of the complaints for the whole of the City. Escaping Sound While loud music has become a natural feature of clubs and discotheques, many pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants also use loud music within their premises. This has another effect besides noise being transferred by vibration to other adjoining premises; sound broadcast into the street through open doors and windows. The Soho Society has a planning policy urging Westminster City Council not to grant consent for fully openable shopfronts for just this reason. Noise from Outdoor Eating There has also been a rapid growth of the number of premises putting tables and chairs on the pavement, sometimes with consent, sometimes without. To a visitor they add to the charm and diversity of the street scene. To the resident the noise generated night after night by diners outside, their conversation and laughter, their cutlery and glasses, the scraping of chairs, the stacking of chairs and tables at night can be very disturbing if their home is nearby and above the noise, particularly for those with young children. Eating out in the evening is at its most popular in the summer, just when residents need to open their windows for breeze and fresh air. One resident commented "It's like living in a party to which one hasn't been invited"! The cumulative effect as more and more premises provide outside seating raises the overall sound levels still further. Additionally, a seasonal source of noise nuisance to some residents are the groups of itinerant musicians who move around the area in the summer playing for outside drinkers and diners in exchange for gratuities. 3.3 FOULING THE STREETS Lack of Public Conveniences While the growth of licensed premises has been rapid, as evidenced above, the real number of public conveniences have declined almost equally rapidly. After leaving premises a number of customers will suddenly realise that they need a public convenience and fairly urgently. A significant minority of the public, predominantly male, usually under the influence of alcohol are now prepared to urinate in side streets, dark doorways etc. This is just where residents may also have their front doors. Vomiting and defecating occurs, less frequently, but more unpleasantly. There is also a similar problem in the gardens of estates and public squares. The responsibility for conveniences The drinks manufacturers and the licensed trade have benefited substantially from the growth of sales of alcohol. Central government benefits from taxation on alcohol. Local authorities as a whole benefit from increased rateable values. Yet real provision for dealing with the human waste products from alcohol has declined. Politically Correct Public Conveniences - PCPC's Things are not helped by the political correctness of toilet provision. The City Council is required by law to offer public convenience facilities to both able and disabled people. They have also adopted policies to offer equal facilities for men and women and to improve the provision of baby changing facilities. These are blameless objectives but they do not make it easier to tackle the problems set out above and they massively increase the cost. Public urinals or 'pissotieres', making free provision for males to urinate, are cheaper to provide, have low maintenance costs but are not politically acceptable despite the fact that it is predominately males who cause the problem. Decline in Actual Provision Given the expense and difficulty of finding new convenient sites to meet all these objectives, the solution has been to install single occupancy pay toilets. Three old inaccessible ones, Charing Cross Road, Cambridge Circus and Babmaes Street which were underground in the roadway, have been replaced in this fashion. The reality is that multi-urinal stall toilets have gone to be replaced by limited pay facilities. Additionally, two other conventional public conveniences in the West End close before the end of drinking up time - Only two stay open to meet the needs of clubbers after midnight. We would like to see co-operation between Central/Local Government and the licensed trade to reverse this situation as a matter of urgency. We are aware that innovative ideas have been implemented in other cities and we append details of one approach used at Utrecht in Holland. See Appendix 4. 3.4 RUBBISH Waste on the Streets Waste and recycling collections in Westminster are by and large efficient. Nevertheless, licensed premises tend to generate large quantities of rubbish which contain food wastes. Each evening, pedestrians have to negotiate piles of rubbish, sometimes with stray dogs (and some homeless people) breaking bags and scattering the contents about in their search for edible elements. This has increased the presence of vermin. These rubbish heaps are a further hazard in relation to broken glass. In the summer time more people are on the streets and in parks, but the frequency of the cleansing service does not increase to respond to the extra litter caused. Planning for Waste In large new developments or redevelopments we support the proposal of the Soho Society that, as planning gain, compactors and other waste management/recycling facilities should be made available as part of the development which can be used by adjoining occupiers to cut down the piles of rubbish that are left on the street. The noise of collections late at night can also disturb residents, especially glass bottle collections and we therefore welcome Westminster City Council's introduction of the first 'Green' refuse collection vehicle (battery powered during collections) and urge them to introduce many more such vehicles as soon as possible. Schemes that collect glass in special recycling bins from commercial premises during the day can be labour intensive and fairly costly to operate, but they play a very significant part in reducing noise from waste collection from licensed premises at night. 3.5 OBSTRUCTION Eating outside has become a firm favourite with customers over recent years as mentioned above. Licensed premises (as well as unlicensed premises such as sandwich bars) have responded by putting tables and chairs out on their own forecourts and the pavement. Tables and chairs can easily spill over from their allotted area or be put in unauthorised places, causing obstruction and forcing pedestrians into the carriageway. 3.6 DRINKING ON THE STREET AND OTHER PUBLIC PLACES Open air drinking by rough sleepers The Working Party discussed the problem of drinking on the streets but recognised the many problems there might be in defining, implementing and enforcing a wholesale ban or a bye-law such as that in Coventry and Glasgow. It was acknowledged that there are localised problems associated with the disadvantaged/disaffected/social underclass and some 'off-licence' premises and that the sales from supermarkets and convenience shops has greatly increased the availability of alcohol on the streets. Problem Drinkers It was recognised that the behaviour of such people can be a serious and repeated nuisance to local residents and that vagrancy and begging have an adverse effect on the area as a whole. The problem with enforcement of codes of behaviour in this field is that many of the vagrants who cause the problem do not pay fines imposed and the courts do not wish to clog up prisons with vagrancy and alcohol related cases. When police officers have had a crackdown the effects are only temporary and merely drive the people elsewhere. Drinking and Social Problems Many of the problems relate to social, housing and mental health problems and are outside the scope of this Working Party. However, we support the view of residents that this is an important social problem which appears to be growing and would urge that more resources are devoted to tackling it. Under-age drinking There were not felt to be special problems in the area with the sale of drinks to minors. This issue effects all areas and is not specific to the West End. We support the Better Regulation Task Force's short term and long term recommendations on age related sales. 3.7 DRINKING OUTSIDE A PUBLIC HOUSE The pleasures of open-air drinking It is recognised by the Working Party that drinking outside a public house in good weather, in the city or the country, is an established and enjoyed form of recreation and relaxation. In many other cultures outside drinking is also well established. In the West End the issue is more complicated. Outside drinking is popular with office workers in the evening and, more briefly, at lunch times. It is popular with tourists and visitors through a much longer part of the day as their time is less constrained. So there is strong demand from across the non-residential community, though with the majority probably in the age range 18-40. Some residents also enjoy outside drinking, though their numbers are relatively few. The problems of open-air drinking On the other hand, outside drinking is noisy, even if well managed, can be intimidating because of the numbers involved, can cause obstruction to pavements and/or the carriageway and cause substantial litter. The number of people drinking outside a public house may physically block the pavement, forcing pedestrians into the street. This is a particular problem for those with disabilities/in wheelchairs and those with young children in prams. There may on occasion be further problems of aggressive behaviour, public order offences and a lack of proper toilet facilities. Selection of Suitable Places Not all pubs are suitable for, or encourage, outside drinking (e.g. where pavements are narrow). However, some pubs are particularly popular for outside drinking. From a licensee's point of view it is good and welcome business with few overheads (no rent or rates to pay for use of the pavement/highway). If drinking takes place on the public highway outside licensed premises, one of the licensee's responsibilities should be to prevent a situation arising where the number of patrons drinking and congregating becomes intimidating to pedestrians or persons requiring access. From the point of view of local residents the peaceful enjoyment of their homes is impossible if they live close to a popular pub with crowds outside. Late-night open air drinking The problem is exacerbated by the trend to later opening hours, the easy availability of 'off ' sales from shops and supermarkets and the fact that when the weather is warm people can stay outside a pub talking and laughing long after closing time. This cuts down the short period of time when the West End is relatively quiet and people can sleep. Any attempt to control and restrict outside drinking will need to be seen to be fair otherwise it is likely to be rejected by the public and be unenforceable. This s a difficult problem to resolve and it is clear opinions are divided. A recent case in which the police took action was the subject of very critical comment in the national tabloid press. See Appendix 5 [currently unavailable on-line ] Additionally, Mr. Atkins who spoke to the Working Party on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service stated that it is the current view that such prosecutions are not normally in the public interest. In this context it is the view of WCC' Environment Protection Group officers and Police that a general local bye-law to prohibit all outside drinking is unworkable simply because the public would not willingly accept it and they do not have the resources to enforce it. However, none of these are sufficient reasons for not taking action to prevent activities which repeatedly create a risk of serious public disorder. 3.8 AIR QUALITY A concentration of food premises adds to the smells and air pollution of the area despite high level ventilation extracts, unless these are well maintained. Air extract and air conditioning systems are usually placed at the back of premises or in light wells and can cause noise problems to residents. Enforcement appears to be unsystematic. For example, unauthorised extracts systems become legal if they remain in place for more than four years. Higher standards for extraction and filtration systems should be imposed for new A3 Food and Drink use or where an existing premises is substantially refurbished. 3.9 TO SUMMARISE THE PROBLEMS The rapid increase in entertainment use of all kinds in the 1980's has not been matched by a corresponding increase in the local infrastructure to deal with the potentially adverse aspects of such use. As a result, this had lead to a marked and rapid decline in amenity. A Good Night Out - Index A Good Night Out - 4. THE RESIDENTS' PERSPECTIVE |
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