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DON’T TURN MAYFAIR INTO SOHO

Activists claim they are being penalised by late drinking

MAYFAIR will become another Soho unless City Hall stops handing out late-night licenses, worried residents have claimed.
More than 100 people packed into a meeting at St Mark’s Church, in North Audley Street, on Monday, to call for Westminster Council to redesignate Mayfair as a “stress area” like neighbouring Soho and Covent Garden. Dozens of pubs and bars in Mayfair have been allowed to stay open later under the new licensing act that came into force eight days ago.
But in Soho, the council’s policy guidelines block any venues who want to extend their opening hours. Residents fear that bar owners are setting up venues in Mayfair, bypassing the rule.
And residents argue they are already seeing the effect in more anti-social behaviour.
Ron Whelan, chairman of the Mayfair Action Group, said: “We want to get a freeze on new licence applications. I have tried before to appeal at licensing meetings and it was a nightmare even to get heard. They don’t care about residents. Getting a stress area would not solve the problem but it means it won’t get any worse.”
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Court drama over ‘secret’ file
 
A SECRET file on a former head of security for the Royal household has been impounded by a court following the intervention of a judge.
District Judge Quentin Purdy took the decision before barristers for Westminster Council began to query the service record of expert witness David Davis, a retired superintendent.
Council lawyers produced the file – a standard employee file kept by the Metropolitan Police while Mr Davis was a serving officer – just before lunch on Friday. Mr Davis, was at Horseferry Road Magistrates’ Court on Friday appearing as a witness for Cirque at the Hippodrome, in Leicester Square, which is appealing against the council’s decision to refuse the conversion of its licence – required under the new Licensing Act.
The club was forced to close last week as the judge has yet to reach a verdict, costing tens of thousands of pounds of business and threatening corporate Christmas bookings. For the club to remain operating it needed to have secured a successful outcome to the case before the new Licensing Act regime began on November 24.
But club bosses are hopeful that it will win its appeal on Monday.
Mr Davis had given evidence claiming the police could do more to improve Cirque’s security and reduce violence.

 



Attitudes mature to English wine

WHEN Hugh Johnson published the first edition of his book Wine in 1966, there were three commercial vineyards in England.
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This Heath price hike is just not cricket

THIS summer’s Ashes success didn’t just help us armchair types suss out our full toss from our wrist spin.
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