Industry figures fear cumulative impact policy plans
Copeland Borough Council has launched a consultation on the introduction of a cumulative impact policy (CIP) in Whitehaven, Cumbria. The measure creates a “rebuttable presumption” that any new applications for, and variations to, licences will normally be refused unless there will be no negative cumulative impact on one or more of the licensing objectives.
It has proposed ‘traffic light zones’, outlining any applications in the red area will only be granted “in the most exceptional circumstances”, while in the amber area, they will be permitted provided it “includes various steps for promoting the licensing objectives”. Good-quality applications within the green area are “likely” to be permitted, it adds.
The proposal follows a report from Cumbria Constabulary that claims Whitehaven has “very high crime and disorder figures” and its 27 pubs, bars and nightclubs are a “heavy drain on police resources”.
But Andrew Conoley, of Roc Bar, which would fall in the red zone, has slammed the council and police for failing to speak to licensees or the Pubwatch committee before launching the consultation and hit out at the lack of statistics included in the police report to back up its claims. In a letter to the council, he added that the “economic situation of a police force is not a justifiable or legitimate reason to introduce the policy”.
'Struggling to survive'
“Whitehaven is a small town and it’s getting quieter and quieter. We’re struggling to survive at the moment because five miles down the road is a large town with licences until 4am and 6am and we can’t compete. I’m concerned police would be more likely to object to temporary event notices during the Christmas period if the policy is introduced,” he told the PMA.
Norwich City Council is also consulting on the introduction of a CIP, after Norfolk police said there was an “evidential link” between the level of disorder and the number of licensed premises within the city centre.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, said she was “not convinced” Norwich’s tactic would be mutually beneficial.
However, Norwich Constabulary licensing inspector Ed Brown claimed CIPs “have been championed by the trade” as an alternative measure to early morning restriction orders.
