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Hackney Council postpones controversial review of club licensing rules
By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 13 August 2015
Controversial plans to clamp down on new late night haunts in the Hackney borough of London are on hold after the council there said it had discovered a “minor error” in its proposals. Current licensing rules, originally due to expire next January, will be kept in place until a new consultation on reform is completed sometime next year.
London promoters and clubbers had expressed concerns about the planned licensing reforms, which included a cut back on late night opening at bars and clubs, and a move to stop licensing new clubbing venues in Shoreditch entirely. Local music businesses argued that this would hugely hinder the night-time economy that has become so important to this part of the capital.
As those opposed to the changes got busy grabbing signatures to back their submission to Hackney Council criticising the plans, the local authority’s Licensing Chair Emma Plouviez said: “Unfortunately there was a minor error in the published consultation document. Although this was not related to the part of the consultation affecting nightclub opening hours, which is what we know has caused the most concern, we want to ensure that everyone who takes the time to respond to any council consultation can have confidence that they did so with the full facts”.
She went on: “We needed to decide whether to correct the mistake and extend the current consultation, or take the opportunity to take a step back and re-consult on a new draft policy that we hope both residents and businesses will be able to support”.
