Time At The Bar
As England and Wales wait for the new licensing law to come into force later this year, Fluid Network's Fiona Lawrie
looks at what it will mean for users of style bars...
Pub licensing laws were tightened during the First World War to prevent munitions workers damaging the war effort.
Until now, they had hardly changed in England and Wales. The new Licensing Act - passed in July 2003 - replaces the outdated
system and takes effect from November this year.
Currently, most pubs and bars in England and Wales close at 11 p.m. through the week, and at 10.30 p.m. on Sundays and bank holidays.
In France, bars generally close about 1.30 a.m.; in Paris up to 3.00 a.m. In Belgium, restrictions are seldom imposed and bars open and close as they like. Closer to home, in Scotland most pubs are licensed until 12 midnight.
England, in comparison, is like the kid whose mother wants him home earlier than all his friends.
Not for much longer, though. Key features of the new Act include flexible closing times, with opportunities for up to 24-hour opening; and a shift of licensing responsibility to local authorities. Local residents will be able to appeal if they disagree. Licensing authorities began processing applications last month.
Advertising executive, Susie Boston, recently moved to London from Sydney, where the bars open virtually 24 hours. She says:
'London has the most vibrant bar scene in the world so it's a shame it's difficult to get a drink after 11.00. I'm thrilled the law's changing.'
While licensed premises are able to apply for a 24-hour licence, recent surveys undertaken by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport indicate fewer than two per cent are likely to do so.
Murray Harris, part-owner of the Bridge, in Barnes, the Albany in Twickenham and the Hit Bar, in Hammersmith says:
'I certainly don't want to be open 24-7. The Bridge and the Albany are neighbourhood places; there's no way they'll shut later than 1.00 a.m. At a push, I'd consider 2.00 a.m. for the Hit Bar because it's a cocktail bar, but staying open until 4.00, 5.00? I'm just not interested.'
In the last ten years the way the English drink has undergone a transformation. Changing work patterns mean people finish work later or commute longer distances home; hence, they want to go out later.
Ben Eavis, from the Responsible Drinking team at Allied Domecq, the drinks producer who manufacture Beefeater's and Teacher's, among other brands, says:
'We work in a 24-hour environment - what's day for some, is night for others. We have to accommodate everyone.'
Allied Domecq were the first major drinks company to ask for external opinions from experts on global marketing and advertising campaigns, and have changed or abandoned some of them as a result of advice.
Murray Harris says consumers have become more educated about drinking. They know exactly what they want to drink.
'Now, people are asking for drinks like Bombay Sapphires. In the last 10 years, I've noticed less of a beer culture: wines and cocktails have hugely increased in popularity, particularly among 20-30 year olds. At the Bridge, almost half our monthly sales are wines - compared with 25 per cent beers. The rest is made up of cocktails, spirits and minerals.'
The Government believe that extending the licensing laws will reduce alcohol-related crime and anti-social behaviour, including binge drinking.
But the Act's critics argue that extended opening hours will equate with more drunkenness, not less.
A spokesperson from the Portman Group, a non-profit making organisation promoting sensible drinking in the UK, disagrees:
'We're definitely in favour of staggered closing times. Problems arise when everyone leaves the pubs at the same time. Spreading the period during which customers leave premises will reduce binge drinking, drunkenness and disorder.'
Many of these people are drunk as a result of drinking quickly to meet the 11.00 p.m. deadline. If you have a number of venues closing at different times in one area, fewer fights and less concentrated consumption of alcohol will follow.
From November, if you're in a great bar and want to stay out a little longer - rather than queuing up to carry on the evening in a less salubrious venue - you'll be able to stay put. Finding a taxi will become easier, as will having a nightcap after going to a restaurant, or the cinema. Drinking will become even more sociable, laidback and civilised.
'The situation won't change overnight into a European-style cafe culture,' Eavis adds: 'But the new law is a step that will allow us to learn to become more like that.'
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