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‘CALL TIME ON BOOZE BONANZA’
One drinks outlet for every 100 adults, figures reveal
PRESSURE was mounting this week for curbs on escalating numbers of booze outlets in Islington as new figures show there is now one for every 100 adults in the borough.
Campaigners are concerned about spiralling anti-social behaviour after Tribune investigations revealed the borough has a bar, restaurant or off-licence for every 104 adults.
Islington South and Finsbury Labour MP Emily Thornberry has called for stricter controls on licences. She said: “There have been a large number of studies which show people are drinking more and more and that will have social and health costs.
“One of the reasons for that is people drinking at home. It’s easier to buy a bottle of wine than a loaf of bread in some places.”
Concern has been fuelled by Islington Council’s admission that it does not know how many off-licences there are in the borough, although it says 60 per cent of the borough’s 1,300 licensed premises can sell alcohol to be consumed off the premises. The revelations have prompted calls for an immediate curb on new off-licences until the Town Hall has got to grips with the situation.
Residents claim there are up to 57 off-licences in Archway, based on the combined population of Junction and Hillrise wards – one for every 316 people. In Holloway Road and Junction Road alone, there are 34 licensed premises.
Norman Beddington, of Better Archway Forum, said: “We consider there are too many outlets selling alcohol in the area, whether they be specialist off-licences or grocers selling alcohol. We’d like to see a reduction because we think it’s leading to anti-social behaviour. We don’t want to see more given out.”
Resident Chris Bailey added: “The council should consider if it’s appropriate for every shop in a parade to be selling alcohol.”
The figures on drinks outlets have emerged as Islington’s licensing panel prepares to consider applications from juice bar Sliced and Squeezed in Finsbury and for a 24-hour licence for a new shop in Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, on Monday.
Last week, two off-licences in Newington Green Road were given permission to sell alcohol 24 hours a day.
Leo Chapman, who lives in Chequers Street, Finsbury, yards from Sliced and Squeezed, believes Whitecross Street has too many licensed premises.
“There are already eight licences, four of them off-licences, issued for Whitecross Street with another application by Sliced and Squeezed,” he said. “I live nearby, and there are objections from residents.
“Islington Council needs to defer issuing any more licences to sell alcoholic drinks, whether in pubs, restaurants or off-licences, until it knows just how many there are already. They all come under the general heading of premises licences with no breakdown.”
He added: “Alcohol is a controlled drug, after all. That’s why it’s licensed. If these licences were for marijuana cafés you could bet councillors would be wringing their hands and spurring on their officials to provide them with figures. There seems to be an ‘open go’ for any retailer to apply and get a licence to sell alcoholic drinks.”
Lib Dem councillor Marisha Ray, executive member for public protection, said: “I understand Mr Chapman’s concerns, but the Licensing Act 2003 doesn’t allow us to refuse applications on these grounds.”
A Town Hall spokesman said: “More than 60 per cent of our 1,300 licensed premises are able to sell alcohol to consume off the premises. Not all of these are off-licences.
“The licensing act doesn’t give us any powers to do anything if we think there are too many off-licences in a certain area – but we can take action if there are too many businesses that sell alcohol to drink on their premises, like bars and clubs.
“Our licensing team is just starting a project to look at areas of concern we have identified, the first of which will be Archway.” |
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