Hackney Council scraps controversial late night licensing consultation

The borough had proposed a bylaw​ that would close new pubs, bars and nightclubs at midnight and prevent licences from being granted in certain areas following concerns about the impact of Hackney’s booming late night economy on residents.

Licensing chair Emma Plouviez said: “Unfortunately there was a minor error in the published consultation document. Although this was not related to the part of the consultation affecting nightclub opening hours, which is what we know has caused the most concern, we want to ensure that everyone who takes the time to respond to any council consultation can have confidence that they did so with the full facts.

“We needed to decide whether to correct the mistake and extend the current consultation, or take the opportunity to take a step back and re-consult on a new draft policy that we hope both residents and businesses will be able to support.

Balancing act​

“Hackney’s creative and night time economy is famous worldwide and brings valuable investment and employment into the borough, but first and foremost Hackney is a place for people to live. Balancing the needs of the night time economy with the rights of our residents to live in a peaceful and safe environment is one of the biggest challenges facing our borough.”

However, according to a local newspaper, music and dance venues would be forced to close at 11pm rather than midnight as stated in the consultation.

The council is now proposing that the borough’s current policy be readopted and the consultation delayed until 2016, and says it plans to launch a high profile public debate on the borough’s nighttime economy.

Industry comment​

Jonathan Smith, partner at licensing law specialist Poppleston Allen said: “Hackney Council has decided to 'take a step back' from their current consultation in respect of the 2016 Statement of Licensing Policy, following the discovery of an error in the consultation document, according to an official statement published on Hackney’s website.

"The consultation included a proposal to increase Hackney’s Shoreditch Special Policy Area, where there is a policy presumption that new premises licence and full variation applications will be refused unless they can demonstrate that the proposal will not add to cumulative impact in the area. In addition, there was a proposal to introduce a borough-wide hours policy, with rebuttable suggested maximum terminal hours depending on the type of premises and its location in the borough."