The Government in its wisdom has decided that longer opening hours for pubs and clubs are the way to reduce anti-social behaviour on our streets at closing time. Only time will show whether they are right but what is certain is that the noise from music, car doors slamming, loud goodbyes across the street and low level vandalism etc associated with closing time in many pubs and clubs will now extend to later in the night with consequent annoyance to local residents.
The local councils have had the job passed to them from the magistrates courts of issuing new licences and this summer licensing committees have been busy hearing applications from licensed premises requesting longer hours and the objections from residents concerned about the impact on themselves. Councils cannot simply refuse all applications for extensions as this would only result in a raft of appeals at great cost to council-tax payers, since the object of the new legislation is precisely to allow longer hours.
What Elmbridge's Licensing Committee has been able to do is to modify the applications in cases where the pub concerned was simply asking too much - for example the George and Dragon's request was for later hours beyond midnight on too many days of the year and after representations at the committee hearing by local resident Keith Hathaway supported by Residents' Councillor Maureen Sheldrick, the management of the pub were reasonable and agreed to scale down their request. In the case of the Swan many conditions were imposed to try to meet objections from local residents. (At the time of going to press the Weston Green hearings had not taken place).
The Residents' Association has received copies of many objections and the Association's response has been coordinated through Maureen, who has worked actively with local residents, to ensure that the views of residents have been presented to the Licensing Committee. Not everyone will be satisfied but significant improvements were achieved. Local residents should monitor what happens when the new system comes into place in November since one good change is that local councils will be able to call in managers of licensed premises for review of their licence where there is clear evidence of unacceptable disturbance to residents.