Westminster’s draft plan would allow “vertical drinking” on pub premises

• Westminster’s draft plan would allow pub owners to install “vertical drinking” areas in Soho and West End, subject to certain conditions.
• The document would permit larger spaces for standing drinkers under table service, while also requiring that sales of alcohol be limited to “abby waiter or waitress service only”.
• London Mayor Sadiq Khan criticised the proposal as “restrictive and anti-growth” policies, saying, as Tim Barnes puts it, that the regulations would be “overreach”.

Westminster’s draft plan would permit a new type of pub layout for premises in Soho and the West End, allowing “vertical drinking” and bar stools. The material also indicates that the policy would require landlords to provide more seating in the “open bar space” area for standing drinkers, while restricting sales of alcohol to “abby waiter or waitress service only”.

The proposal is also said to discourage excessive drunkenness and encourage the provision of more seating, while also requiring that alcohol sales be limited to “abby waiter or waitress service only”.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan criticised the “restrictive and anti-growth policies” proposal, saying it would undermine “call in” and that it would not allow “overreach” in the regulations. The document also states that the mayor has “call in” powers to review the licensing decision.

Licensing lawyer Philip Kolvin KC, commenting on the materials, said that “vertical drinking” is also “social drinking” and that it is not possible to justify banning it by using the argument that it is “drinking standing up”. He added that the fact that the approach is new does not mean it should be rejected, and that a traditional pub can still be “vertical drinking”.

Under the proposal, Westminster’s draft plan would establish a new policy for pubs in the West End Cumulative Impact Zone, which covers Soho and parts of the West End. The materials state that pubs would be allowed to refuse “normally refuse” applications for a new license in “limited circumstances”.

Tim Barnes, a councillor for Westminster city council and chair of the growth and planning committee, said the council would be able to reject applications if it felt there was no need for the new approach. He added that the Cumulative Impact Zone would remain in place, with decisions being made on their merits, and that new rules would be introduced only where necessary.

Tags: Europe/Politics