Thetford Cumulative Impact Licensing Policy
District Councils are responsible for granting the licenses required by businesses to sell alcohol. Recently councils have been given the power to consider the cumulative impact of licensed premises to restrict the granting of new licences.
Breckland District Council currently does not make use of this power, but the Safer Thetford Action Group has been collecting evidence and lobbying for such a policy, with the aim of reducing the harm caused by off-licenses in the town.
The benefit to the town would not be so much in preventing new off-licences from setting up, but in making it harder for any existing premises to re-gain their licence if it is taken away for violations (e.g. serving customers who are drunk or under-age). This would make enforcement of existing conditions more effective.
In December 2019 Breckland Council agreed to consult the public about having such a policy.
- Alcohol Licensing: Cumulative Impact Assessments, House of Commons Library briefing paper, 16th April 2019.
- Town's plans on tougher rules for new off-licences to be put to the public, Thetford & Brandon Times, 10th December 2019.
- New off-licences could be banned to cut street drinking in Norfolk town, Thetford & Brandon Times, 10th April 2019
- Brecland Council Statement of Licensing Policy, Breckland District Council, December 2015.