Wakefield Council crackdown on new alcohol licences for in city centre backed by public

A cumulative impact zone was first established in Wakefield city centre in 2006 in an attempt to gentrify the area.

The policy means the majority of new alcohol licence applications from local premises are rejected, unless they can offer something different or show they can help improve the city centre.

New restaurants and trendy bars selling booze at higher prices have been favoured by the scheme.

Similar restrictions apply to takeaways wanting a licence to serve food after 11pm.

Now, results from two separate public surveys on the zone, carried out over recent months, have shown people are broadly in favour of it.

Of the 56 people who responded to a consultation which concluded in November, 79 per cent said they agreed with the council's current approach.

A total of 12 per cent disagreed, with the remainder indicating they were unsure.

Speaking at a licensing committee on Wednesday, the council officer Dave Hollis said: "We haven't proposed to change any of the content from the last time the policy was reviewed in 2017, basically because the responses to that policy have been positive.

"It's allowed for the type of venue the council would like to see opening up - restaurants and smaller-sized premises with an offer of quality beers and wines - while keeping the restrictions we'd like to see for vertical drinking establishments and late-night premises wanting to open past 2am."

Councillors voted to approve the scheme's continuation, though that now has to be signed off by the authority's leaders.

Local Democracy Reporting Service