Statement of Licensing Policy (2008) WCC - Westminster City Council

Residential propertiesRESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES 2002 PERCENTAGE OF CITYWest End Stress Area 4027 3.7%Edgware Road Stress Area 1300 1.2%Queensway/Bayswater 2003 1.8%Stress AreaTotal Stress Areas 7330 6.7%Total City of Westminster 108000 100.0%History/background to Stress Areas11. The Stress Areas and the policies developed for both licensing and planning purposeshave been evolved over a long period, as is detailed below. The policies using theStress Areas for licensing and planning purposes are now well established. The mainsteps in evolution are explained below.Consideration of Guidance12. The council decided to adopt special policies which identify areas of cumulativeimpact, which had been established through previous and current licensing andplanning policies. Regardless of the fact that the council had established these areasof cumulative impact in its licensing policy before the Licensing Act 2003, it consideredthe steps as now identifi ed in revised Guidance, paragraph 13.28.Characteristics of Stress AreasIn defi ning the Stress Areas the principal causes of ‘stress’ were considered by thecouncil to include the following aspects which are described below together with thelicensing objective with which they are most closely associated:(a) High levels of noise and vibration from premises and noise and disturbance fromthe very large numbers of people on the street on most nights during the weekeven when relatively well behaved (Public Nuisance).(b) High levels of bad behaviour in public places, particularly at night though notexclusively so, can be characterised as anti-social, dangerous or criminal, much ofit is associated with excessive drinking of alcohol, or drug-taking (Public Nuisanceand Crime and Disorder).148