clean up' Chinatown by Claire Hu Westminster City Council has launched a draft plan for London's Chinatown which aims to deter poor quality bars locating to the area. The council, which has improvement projects under way in Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Soho, wants to preserve the "essential character of Chinatown", with its 80 different restaurants. Work begins in the summer to upgrade Chinatown in an attempt to stop it being "swamped by chain establishments expanding from nearby areas". The move is the latest stage in council moves to stop the spread of "bar culture" in key areas of the West End. Carl Powell, Westminster director of planning and transport, insisted the aim was to improve the overall quality of licensed premises. He said: "We are setting a very challenging agenda for the drinks industry. The question is: How do we raise the quality of what's on the street and help business participate in that?'." Powell added: "We are worried that we have reached a saturation point, and if we have any more mega bars coming into areas like Soho, we are going to push out the last shops and small restaurants. "We want to encourage the licensed trade to improve the quality of their offering and claw back the feeling of safety. Some families are frightened of taking children into the West End late at night." The latest plan will come as glum news to hosts in Westminster, who have already seen the council introduce saturation policies. l The council is this week writing to Transport for London asking for a 24 tube service on Fridays and Saturdays in preparation for longer licensing hours.
