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

• Planning policies in the Unitary Development Plan since June 2000• Action plans for Leicester Square, Chinatown and Covent Garden, andEdgware Road• The introduction of City Guardians• Civic Watch Project• Extensive CCTV coverage in the West End;• Additional portable urinals, and 24-hour street cleansing;• Orders to give the police powers to stop street drinking and seize alcoholand receptacles• Use of Dispersal Orders• Joint operations on illegal minicabs2.4.14 The police have re-deployed their resources to allocate more offi cers to the night shiftsand are key partners in the CCTV initiatives, in and preventing street drinking andconfi scating alcohol, in joint operations on illegal minicabs and they work in close dayto day collaboration through Civic Watch and with the City Guardians.Reviews in stress areas2.4.15 Existing premises licences that have a negative impact on the licensing objectivescontribute to cumulative impact, and this may be reduced if appropriate steps aretaken on reviews of individual licences that are creating particular problems.462.4.16 The Government’s revised Guidance on reviews (Paragraph 11.6) states that:“After a licence or certifi cate has been granted or varied, a complaint relatingto a general (crime and disorder) situation in a town centre should generallynot be regarded as a relevant representation unless it can be positively tied orlinked by a causal connection to a particular premises which would allow for aproper review of its licence or certifi cate”. (Italics added by the council.)The Government’s revised Guidance 13.35 states“Special policies should never be used as a ground for revoking an existinglicence or certifi cate when representations are received about problems withthose premises. The “cumulative impact” on the promotion of the licensingobjectives of a concentration of multiple licensed premises should only giverise to a relevant representation when an application for the grant or variationof a licence or certifi cate is being considered. A review must relate specifi callyto individual premises, and by its nature, “cumulative impact” relates to theeffect of a concentration of many premises. Identifying individual premisesin the context of a review would inevitably be arbitrary.” (Italics added by thecouncil.)