A 2019 review of the council’s 2018 policy found complaints from independents; Cyndi Himmelstiere asks what has changed since
Shoreditch After Midnight: What Hackney’s Special Policy Area Did to Late Licences
A 2019 review of the council’s 2018 policy found complaints from independents; Cyndi Himmelstiere asks what has changed since
By Cyndi Himmelstiere, Shoreditch correspondent
The Policy
Hackney Council’s late-night licensing policy was set in 2018 and passed unanimously, according to the review published by The Caterer one year later by Vincent Wood, published on 15 August 2019. It refashioned Special Policy Areas in Shoreditch and Dalston, giving the council power to deny licences that may create a cumulative impact. The areas cover most of Shoreditch and Dalston’s Kingsland Road.
The article is seven years old, and I have not found a later assessment in the sources I used. It is evidence of what the policy was doing in its first year, not of what it is doing now.
What Happened to Venues
Dudleys Bakehouse, a cafe on Kingsland Road, failed in July 2019 to extend its alcohol licence to 5am after local complaints. A nail bar on Rivington Street, Shoreditch, which had served Prosecco during treatments, had its licence limited to 8pm after residents asked the council to enforce the policy. Licensing lawyer Piers Warne described a Shoreditch property that had to go to a committee hearing on policy grounds alone, even though no residents objected and police and environmental health were content.
These are individual cases. They show how a policy aimed at late-night drinking can reach cafes and beauty salons.
The Numbers
Applications within the Special Policy Areas made up 26 percent of the borough’s total, down 2 percent on the previous year. In Dalston there were 10 applicants in 2017-18 and 10 in 2018-19. The combined difference in new licence applications across both areas was nine. A 2018 survey found that satisfaction with the council’s handling of antisocial behaviour fell from 73 percent to 53 percent.
The numbers are small, and the article itself does not claim they prove a trend. Its argument is that the policy discouraged applications, not that it stopped them.
The Voices
Jonny Dillon, a protest organiser from We Love Hackney, said, “The new licensing policy is anti-independent business.” Piers Warne said, “smaller independent operators will be put off the process and may not apply at all.” Kate Nicholls of UKHospitality said, “If anything, this shows that the introduction of an SPA has acted as a disincentive to apply.”
Cllr Caroline Selman, then Hackney’s cabinet member for community safety, policy and the voluntary sector, said, “We have always said that our aim is to balance the needs of our exciting, vibrant nightlife with the needs of residents.” The article notes the council faces competing pressures from a booming night-time economy and increasing resident pressure.
What Has Changed Since
A lot, and I do not have the data. The pandemic closed every venue for months. Rents and energy costs have risen. The pubs trade body says 295 pubs closed across the country in the first nine months of 2026, and the Night Time Industries Association has said hospitality is a sector fighting for survival. Whether the Hackney policy is still doing what it did in 2019 is a question for the council’s own monitoring.
Residents living near late venues also have a case, and I do not want to dismiss it. Noise, litter and antisocial behaviour are real.
How a Representation Works
For residents, the licensing system works through representations. When a venue applies for a licence or a variation, the council publishes the application, and people living nearby, the police and environmental health can respond within a set period. If there are objections, the application goes to a committee hearing, where the applicant can answer. The 2019 article describes a case that went to a committee solely on policy grounds, with no resident objecting and the police and environmental health content, which shows that the Special Policy Area changed the starting point of the process.
Anyone who wants to take part should look at the council’s public register of applications, which lists dates and deadlines. Missing the deadline usually means missing the chance.
The Independent Argument
Kate Nicholls’s remark that a Special Policy Area acts as a disincentive to apply is an argument about behaviour, not about outcomes. If operators decide not to apply because the process looks hostile, the council’s figures for refusals will look reassuring while the number of venues quietly falls. That is why the 2019 article’s figures on applications matter more than its figures on refusals.
Balancing Act
There is no formula that will satisfy a bar owner and the flat above. The best policy is probably one that is clear, applied consistently and reviewed. The Hackney approach was meant to give residents a voice, and independent operators say it also gave them a hurdle.
A reader who runs a venue should read the current licensing policy on the council’s website, not an old article. A reader who lives near one should know how to make a representation.
The Wider Lesson
Policy designed for large venues can burden small ones. That is true of licensing, business rates, planning and fire safety. The people who understand it best are the people who have tried to open a bar on Rivington Street.
I plan to return to the subject when the council next reviews the policy.
Humour as a Mirror
Markets that worry are easy to laugh at, and the Cebu condominium story has drawn plenty of that: empty showrooms in Manila News, paperwork for British pensioners in the London Prat (at https://prat.uk/cebu-estate-agents-demand-character-references/) and long showings in Bohiney. See also prat.uk and bohiney.com.
Note: Philippine authorities are examining unproven allegations about Thomas Markle Sr., who lived in Cebu until earlier this year, as GMA News and the Guardian have reported. No charges have been filed. Child protection is a serious matter; the jokes here are about a property market and the paperwork.
For the lighter side of the news, there is always The Daily Squib.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/cebu-realtor-cant-sell-beachfront-listings/