Harefield Gazette

Booze control

COUNCILLOR­S VOTE FOR RESTRICTIO­NS ON ALCOHOL AT NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL

- JULIA GREGORY by julia.gregory@trinitymir­ror.com Twitter: @GetWestLon­don Notting Hill Carnival will be subject to stricter licensing rules this year

A PROPOSAL to introduce stronger licensing controls for Notting Hill Carnival has been approved by a council.

At a vote on Wednesday May 23, Kensington and Chelsea’s full council chose to specifical­ly add Notting Hill Carnival to its Statement of Licensing Policy (SLP) for the first time. The first carnival was held in Notting Hill in the 1960s and has grown over the years to attract huge crowds every August Bank Holiday.

However some have criticised the move, claiming it will turn the volume down on Europe’s biggest street party.

The draft SLP stemmed from council concerns those seeking licences for alcohol stalls and sound systems did not provide enough detail. It also cited public safety and overcrowdi­ng concerns that emerged from last year’s report from the Mayor’s Office of Policing and Crime.

The SLP proposes that no carnival-goers will be allowed to enter or re-enter licensed premises between 7-9pm on both nights, except for patrons going outside to smoke.

It also bans bars and pubs from advertisin­g booze promotions like happy hour or two-for-one drinks during the carnival.

Under the proposals carnival licence applicatio­ns must be made at least six weeks ahead of the event, so organisers, police and the council could assess them.

The applicatio­ns must show how event organisers, which range from stallholde­rs, to pubs, bars and sound system operators, plan to prevent crime and disorder, ensure public safety, protect children, and control crowd numbers.

The rules formalise measures already in place.

A temporary event notice already allows stallholde­rs to serve alcohol between 10am to 7pm both days and existing licence-holders like pubs can continue selling beyond those hours as normal.

While some carnival-goers told a public consultati­on the move would affect the carnival’s spontaneit­y some residents wanted time called on the carnival or for it to be moved elsewhere, citing noise, disruption, and crime.

The Westway Trust , which manages the estate at the carnival’s heart, said the reporting of crime and disorder at the carnival did not take into context the backdrop of rising knife crime across the capital.

It also commented there was a feeling of a ‘crackdown’ on the carnival and particular­ly its sound providers.

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IMAGE: MIRRORPIX

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