Council chiefs are set to cap the number of bars in Manchester’s ‘student alley’. The town hall has drawn up proposals to force planning officers to take into account the number of licensed premises already operating in an area before allowing a new one to open.
The policy would only apply in Fallowfield and Withington – which have seen an explosion of pubs, bars and off-licences in recent years.
It would be the first time the principle would be enshrined in planning rules anywhere in the city.
Supporters believe it would prevent the kind of situation that has erupted in Moston in north Manchester.
There, some 22 licensed premises have been able to open on a 1.4-mile stretch of Moston Lane – leading to council chiefs to dub it ‘booze alley’.
The new rules would mean planners would make a so-called ‘cumulative impact’ assessment when considering an application for a new pub, bar or other licensed premise.
It would also affect existing outlets’ attempts to extend their operating hours.
Currently every licensing application must be decided only on its individual merits – meaning the number of bars already in an area cannot be taken into account.
The plans are set to go to councillors for approval next month before being put to the public as part of a formal consultation. It is understood any new rules would be aimed primarily at so-called ‘vertical drinking’ establishments rather than more traditional pubs and restaurant-bars.
Fallowfield and Withington are both hugely popular with Manchester’s estimated 90,000-strong student population.
That has fuelled a high concentration of pubs and bars – with more than 20 licensed premises in Fallowfield alone. Many are open until 2am or beyond.
A survey published in 2010 showed 69 per cent of non-students living in Fallowfield agreed that limiting the opening hours of takeaways and bars should be a priority. Some 62 per cent of students said they disagreed.
Many non-students claim the large number of late bars has led to anti-social behaviour including late-night noise, litter and public urination.
The council has been looking at the possibility of introducing a cumulative impact assessment since the issue was first raised in December 2010.
A town hall source told the Reporter: "The review will recommend the adoption of a cumulative impact policy.
"The place has transformed over the years. Either side of Wilmslow Road is now just pubs, bars and takeaways. There has got to be a stop and we have to say enough is enough."
James Bromfield, of Withington Civic Society, said: "The explosion of bars in Withington and Fallowfield over the years has led to the degradation of
both areas in terms of noise, litter and urination. Any change would be long overdue."
Nigel Murphy, the council’s executive member for the environment said: "As part of our new licensing policy we said we would conduct reviews into the impact of licensed premises on certain areas.
"Following concerns from some residents about alcohol related issues in Fallowfield and Withington, our officers have now completed a thorough review relating to those areas. Members of the licensing committee will consider whether to formulate a new policy for licensing premises in those areas. We will then seek the views of local residents and businesses through a formal public consultation before a final decision is taken in respect of any revised policy."
A council spokesman added that the review was still being finalised.
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This should apply to the Northern Quarter and Piccadilly Basin area in the city centre too.
A prime lesson on politics in action. Planning should be operated on a quasi-judicial basis, but when polticians are faced with an option when panders to people who are moaning, but are likely not to move, whilst harming another part of the electorate, who they assume will not be there as individuals the next time they want votes, they'll grab it with both hands. Vile creatures.
This should apply to any area. It's quite simple. Any area should have an equation which says based on the resident population, the maximum number of bars and take-aways is "x". I've watched high streets and small local shopping precincts turn into rows of run down take-aways and pubs when there was no need.
Everything in moderation huh?
'Too late!' was the cry.
Close them all down make people stay indoors the streets are not safe .
Can we have this applied to kebab shops opening across Manchester too.I can't understand why some areas need 3,4 or 5 takeaways next door to each other and all selling the same type of ''food'' at the same prices.
The "problem" in Moston is a proliferation of off-licences, not of pubs and bars. The two are completely different things.
As a non-student resident of Fallowfield, I fully support this initiative. My car has been vandalised so many times (wing mirrors kicked off, wipers and aerials broken) by drunken fools that I have long since stopped reporting this to the police. Great hordes of bellowing oafs- both male and female- roam the otherwise quiet streets around Wilmslow Road unchecked, and these are supposed to be our finest brains and our collective future?
Having a good time should not include giving someone else a bad time.
Surely they're only there because there's a demand for them. If they didn't get the trade, they'd close.
I dont feel this would combat the problem. I am a local and previously a student in the mentioned areas. Fallowfield has seen many clubs and pubs shut over the past few years. I remember then all the idiots were spread out. acroos different establishments. Now everyone is crammed into a few venues and it does create friction. I have to say over the last year or two some of the incidents ive seen were shocking compared to that of a few years ago.
If the Withington Civic Society want 'degradation of the area' looks like, try waiting until you've got empty units for everyone to graffiti & vandalise.
Though given that councils & politicians hate pubs & want to see them all replaced with supermarkets (Sainsburys in the White Lion in Withington, Tesco in the Feathers in Chorlton, Tesco again in Jilly's in town) it's no wonder they side with the 1940s brigade.
PS In the last five years Bruins in Fallowfield along with the White Lion & Gold Lion in Withington have both closed down so in theory there is space for three more bars in the area.
It was the council who allowed the large number of licensed premises to set up in the first place through the planning and licensing process. This is a cynical attempt to win votes in the local elections in May.
Can the MEN please stop printing Pat Karney's lie that there are 22 alcohol outlets on Moston Lane?
There are 12 - made up of the following
4 pubs
1 social club
1 restaurant
6 off licences.
All that on a stretch of road about a mile and a half long.Hardly booze alley.
The bars are there and doing well because there is a fantastic demand for them. If there wasn't, the patrons would be travelling into that hell hole called Manchester city centre. Just what the council want no doubt.
Can this council do anything right? Not from past experiences.
So what happens now....
The students who can't drink in the areas in walking distance to where they live will now join the other 3,000 at Owens Park bus stop and drink bottles of cheap wine until the 'Magic Bus' arrives to take them to town. Seriously, anybody who has to travel on these services at night after 22:00 on a friday or Saturday night and even some midweek nights will know what I am talking about.
When the buses stop to let passengers on it is mayhem! The poor bus inspectors who have to deal with these hooligans I take my hat off to them. I have seen the students throwing glass bottles on to the roads and pavements, they rush on to the buses and try not to pay. They put the bus passes through the window so others can use it (and we wonder why bus prices are so high with lost revenue) when they do finally get on the bus, the noise is unbeleivable with shouting singing banging and stamping all the way to town. I would not be a bus driver on this route for all the money in the world. Student behaviour is a disgrace and I thing they should open more bars in Fallowfield, keep these yobs in one area so I for one can travel in safety and comfort.
Without the students, there would be more degradation of this area. Shops are already closing, windows boarded up. If all students are forced out to town, then Fallowfield will be a ghost town again. We should be doing the opposite to revive the town. Those residence in Fallowfield, have you benefited from the rise in property prices in the last couple of years. Did the residence not know that this town is predominately students and some level of noise is anticipated. Has the local economy benefited from jobs. If all the investors pull out of , don't start moaning because the council will not support you. We need students and students need entertainment.. There is only one Fallowfield. If you want quite, best to move further out. I can honestly say having student is far better than local asbo's from running the town.
The below comments are missing the point. If the universities would offer value for money and provide courses with consistent hard work that needed doing every day, students would not have the time to go out drinking and would benefit from higher education in the long run. Put people in a town, give them minimal responsibilities and a lump sum of cash every semester, and you'll see them run riot. I admit I did ten years ago. (Didn't break any laws personally.) It's right to address the issue, but you're all pointing your finger at the wrong crowd.
As a long term Fallowfield resident, who remembers back to late 70's when as a student we had choice of just 2 pubs and Sandpiper 'nightclub' to visit. It appears that Manchester City Council now cares more about providing late night pubs/bars until 3am for students (in the main, as locals not allowed in majority of the bars) to drink themselves senseless and then leaving us the Council Tax payers to clean up after them.
It is time that they listened to local residents who are sick and tired of disturbed sleep, wanton vandalism, so called'student high jinx' which most of us call ASB.
We know times move on, but it is now time to reclaim our Communities and say enough is enough. How many of these Cllrs live close to Wilmslow Road and have to survive on little sleep and have to wash down the pools of vomit/urine from their front doors?
Good decision, now stop allowing so many food establishments to open. Everywhere you look these days there is a fried chicken/kebab/burger/junk food take away opening up to cater for the boozed up students who live in Fallowfield for the majority of three years, they trash the place then move on leaving us locals to pay the price of their mess,
why are we wringing our hands trying to please the students who spent all of 20 odd weeks in Manchester before shoving off to surrey and leaving the poor locals to pick up after them. Withington used to be a great place, shops, pubs, QUALITY restaurants, a couple of DECENT takeways, now it's rough & ugly & no-one goes there when the students go home