New restrictions on the number of premises granted licences to sell alcohol in Bedford town centre have been described by a councillor as a victory for residents fed up with drink-related crime and disorder.
Bedford Borough councillors agreed at a meeting on Wednesday 2nd May the introduction of Cumulative Impact Policies (CIPs), implementing a presumption against new applications being granted for licenses to sell alcohol in Mildand Road, Tavistock Street and the High Street.
Conservative Cllr David Fletcher, representative for Castle Ward, has been campaigning for the introduction of CIPs since 2016 with the support of Cllr Luigi Reale and the Midland Road Residents’ Association. Cllr Fletcher has since repeatedly raised residents’ concerns of crime and anti-social behaviour with Bedfordshire Police and Council Licensing officers.
Despite discouraging Cllr Fletcher from pursuing CIPs due to a perceived lack of evidence, in 2017 the Council’s Licensing department finally commissioned an external review by consultants MAKE Associates which backed-up his concerns.
Cllr Fletcher said:
‘Alcohol-related crime and anti-social behaviour is now a 24/7 issue for the town centre. The number of off licences selling cheap, high-strength lager has encouraged a culture of street drinking which has noticeably changed the atmosphere of Midland Road in particular. The night time economy also comes at a cost to residents who bear witness to a minority of revellers fighting, urinating and vomiting as they leave the pubs and clubs in the early hours.
‘Despite my having been told by the Council that there was no case for CIPs, the review by MAKE consultants now provides conclusive evidence of the harm arising from the proliferation of alcohol vendors at the expense of the community in the town centre. The introduction of the CIPs is an important first step in acknowledging that Bedford has an alcohol problem and reversing this trend.’