Covent Garden London
The heart of London's West End
The Soho Society
55 Dean Street
London W1
Phone 020 7439 4303
For details contact:
Glen Suarez
Phone 020 7425 5001
Residents say more late-night licences will make life in the West End impossible
The Soho Society and Meard and Dean Street Residents' Association today publish their views on Jack Straw's proposals to modernise the drinks laws
SOHO. LONDON: 4th August 2000. The Soho Society and the Meard and Dean Street Residents' Association today publish their views on Home Office proposals to modernise the licensing laws in England and Wales. In a hard hitting report entitled "Nessun Dorma" both organisations say that the licensing laws have failed to protect residents in central London areas from intolerable levels of noise, nuisance and crime resulting from the concentration and saturation of bars and clubs in the area. The report rejects Home Office proposals to legalise 24 hour drinking unless there is total reform of the nuisance and planning laws; calls for the creation of a Licensing Inspectorate; and transfer of licensing functions to the Department of Environment, Transport and Regions.
Marina Tempia, Chair of the Soho Society's Licensing Committee, which prepared the report with the Meard and Dean Street Residents' Association, said "For those of us living and working in all areas of central London, it often feels we are forgotten by the policy makers. That may be fine during the day, when amidst the hustle and bustle we can quietly get on with our lives, but at night, it's a different story. That feeling that 'no one lives round here' has become an excuse for more and more late night noise, nuisance and crime. Residents have had enough."
Speaking on behalf of the Meard and Dean Street Residents Association, Chairman David Bieda said "We are not against deregulation in principle but under Jack Straw's proposals confusion over who has responsibility for dealing with nuisance will continue: that is unacceptable. Responsibility for dealing with the problems arising from the concentration and saturation of bars in central London is now divided between the planners and the licensing authorities. It does not work. We must ensure that responsibility for preventing and controlling nuisance gets dealt with in an integrated way. That's why we want the Department of Environment, Transport and Regions to have responsibility. We're only asking for the joined-up Government the Prime Minister has been promoting."
The report is to be handed to Jack Straw today as part of the consultation process on the modernisation of the licensing laws.
For further details, information and full copies of the report contact
The Soho Society
Marina Tempia Tel 020 7439 4303
Glen Suarez Tel 020 7425 5001 or 07798 860 665
The Meard and Dean Street Residents' Association
David Bieda Tel 020 7437 5512
© Soho Society August 2000
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