Hundreds still to apply under new laws

SCORES of popular pubs and clubs in drinking hotspots such as Camden Town, Swiss Cotttage and Covent Garden could lose their alcohol licences simply because they have not got round to filling out crucial new forms.
A red alert was issued by the Town Hall’s licensing department on Monday, warning that unless bar and nightclub owners update their licences soon, they could risk losing them altogether.
All of Camden’s 1,700 venues must convert their old licences to the new licensing system by the end of August – even if they don’t want to take advantage of the government’s decision to scrap fixed opening hours.
But a trickle of just 31 applications has caused panic at the Town Hall with officials warning that if pub bosses ignore their new obligations, they could find they do not have a licence to serve alcohol later this year.
Stephen Leonard, head of the council’s licensing department, said: “Licensees need to understand that their existing licence will expire come November 2005 – regardless of when it was issued, or when it is due to expire. Licensees who fail to apply for a new licence before the August 6 deadline, risk losing their existing licence rights and having no licence come early November 2005.”
And the council has warned licensees who leave their applications to the last minute could be amongst those crying into their beer.
Mr Leonard added: “There are also real dangers in waiting to apply close to the 6 August deadline. If we receive a large influx of applications wanting to vary their licence close to the August 6 deadline, this could present us with problems around the processing of applications within the prescribed time frames.
“This means that the variation applications could potentially end up at Magistrate’s Court, possibly taking a long time to be heard and burdening licensees with additional costs. To avoid this and retain their existing licence we encourage licensees to apply as soon as possible”.
The latest warning comes despite repeated attempts by the council to persuade licensees to take immediate action.
A new feature on the council’s website reveals how few venues have applied to convert or vary their licences under the new system.
The Totnes Castle pub in Tufnell Park, the Bedlam Bar in Hampstead and the Princess of Wales pub in Primrose Hill have all completed forms – but hundreds of other venues have yet to contact the council.