Councillors call for limits on late opening hours in Shrewsbury

Members of Shrewsbury Town Council said they would back the creation of a policy that set limits on opening hours throughout the town centre.

They want a 'strategic planning document' drawn up to provide a legal basis for the restrictions.

The issue was discussed by councillors with representatives of Shropshire Council's licensing department at a planning committee meeting last night.

It comes after a number of late-night licences were granted to bars and sandwich shops in the town centre in recent weeks.

Councillor Peter Nutting, who represents the Copthorne ward, quizzed the Shropshire Council representatives at last night's meeting on how they could place limits on opening hours within the town.

He said: "The town council I think would rather have some policy in place which restricts the very late licenses along the lines of stopping the sale of alcohol at 2am with everyone out at 3am."

The councillors were advised that a strategic planning document could place blanket limits on premises applying for planning permission.

Councillor Nutting said the authority would need to look at the creation of the policy "quite soon".

Councillor Beverley Baker, who represents Bagley, said that the council has to look at ensuring the town centre is still an acceptable place for people to live.

She said: "We are getting more and more planning applications coming though for properties in the town centre and there has to be some balance. If we are asking people to live in the town centre, the town has to be liveable.

"There needs to be some way we can think this through and it has to be done sooner, rather than later."

Councillor Andrew Bannerman, member for Quarry and Coton Hill and a strong critic of the extension of opening hours, said he wanted to see the policy introduced as soon as possible. He said: "As far as myself and many other people are concerned this vision document cannot come soon enough. In fact there is a danger that we are closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Applications are flooding in for 4am closures and it does not seem to make any difference if the police object as they did on the last two.

"It is getting to the stage where residents are extremely frustrated and I am at my wits' end because I do not known how to support them any more."

The committee agreed to begin discussions with Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury's Business Improvement District about the potential for a strategic planning document and a "vision" for the town's night time economy.