Introduction
As required by the Licensing Act 2003, the council prepared a formal statement of licensing policy, with effect from, 7th January 2005, reviewed on 7th January 2008, 13th May 2009 (to include a cumulative impact policy. this has now been further reviewed, following consultation, so as to have effect from 7th January 2011.
The revised statement of licensing policy refers to the city's recently established cultural quarter, as shown inn the plans available below.
Further details about the requirements and impact of the legislation can be found through the links below.
Statement of Licensing Policy
The council's statement of licensing policy explains how the Licensing Authority will exercise its licensing functions under the Licensing Act 2003 and is available below.
Licensing Objectives
Central to the statement of licensing policy is the promotion of the four key licensing objectives, as set out in section 4 to the Act, which are:
- the prevention of crime and disorder
- public safety
- prevention of public nuisance, and
- the protection of children from harm
In carrying out its licensing functions, the council is obliged to have regard to these objectives, its Statement of Licensing Policy and the statutory guidance issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport under section 182 of the Act and revised from time to time.
Duration and Review
The legislation provides for the statement of licensing policy to remain in place for a three-year period, but may be reviewed and modified during that period. The original 2005 policy, reviewed in 2008 and in May 2009, when a Cumulative Impact Policy (CIP) was applied to three discrete areas of the city. This is an addition to the overarching statement of licensing policy (SLP) which gives guidance as to how the council will deal with applications under the Licensing Act 2003.
In accordance with the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003, the SLP has been further reviewed by full council at its 17th November 2010 meeting, so as to be of effect from January 2011.
It is anticipated that, if the provisions of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill amending the Licensing Act 2003 become law, the review period for statements of licensing policy will be extended to five years with effect from 2012.
Cumulative Impact Policy
The CIP covers three specific geographic areas, namely Above Bar, London Road/Bedford Place and Bevois Valley Road. The effect of the CIP is that additional licensed premises or significant variation of hours of operating are unlikely to be permitted unless the applicant can demonstrate to the council, as Licensing Authority, that the intended changes will not have an adverse impact on the area. However, the CIP will only engage where a valid representation has been made by a Responsible Authority or another interested party. In addition to the maps contained in the published SLP, a dynamic map showing the CIP areas is available.
Comments
If you have any comment on the statement of licensing policy, the council would be pleased to hear from you. Please use either the Licensing Policy email address or the postal address below - it would be appreciated if you were to clearly indicate that your communication relates to the Licensing Act 2003 statement of licensing policy.
Southampton City Council
