Fears that the capital’s thriving nightlife could be under threat mounted today, after plans were approved for a midnight curfew for all new pubs and clubs on weekends in London’s trendy East-end borough of Hackney.
The hipster hotspot, popular for its diverse social scene, has come under pressure following complaints from residents over late night noise disruption.
But the complaints have been dismissed as gentrification at work by those who frequent the Hackney bars, amid an influx of new home owners attracted to the cheaper house prices and social cachet of living in a trendy borough.
Fears that the capital’s thriving nightlife could be under threat mounted today, after plans were approved for a midnight curfew for all new pubs and clubs on weekends in London’s trendy East-end borough of Hackney (file image: The Dove, in Shoreditch, East London)
In a blow to small business owners in the area, Hackney Council unanimously approved plans that will tightly restrict new nightlife spots in the borough.
The plans will see ‘core’ curfews of midnight during weekends and 23:00 during weekdays for all new venues, as well as requiring businesses to prove they will not have a detrimental impact on the area is they want to open beyond those hours.
It also plans to double the size of the Shoreditch ‘special policy area’ within which venues must show they will not add to anti-social behaviour, crime and noise.
One business owner, who owns night markets across London, called the new policies a ‘huge mistake’.
The hipster hotspot, popular for its diverse social scene, has come under pressure following complaints from residents over late night noise disruption (file image: Off Broadway, Hackney)
‘I’ve been operating bars, restaurants, clubs and night markets in London for more than 20 years,’ Jonathan Downey, who owns street-food market Dinerama in Shoreditch, told the BBC.
‘In that time this is the worst thing that’s happened to the city’s nightlife. It will kill the area’s night-time economy,’ he added.
The trendy hub, filled with some of London’s greatest nightlife heritage, is known for its food markets, clubs and craft beer pubs, and attracts people from all over the UK.
The complaints have been dismissed as gentrification at work by those who frequent the Hackney bars, amid an influx of new home owners attracted to the cheaper house prices and social cachet of living in a trendy borough (file image: The Barley Mow, Shoreditch, London)
But the council says the concentration of late-night venues needs to be better managed to reduce the impact on neighbours.
Not all were against the plans however, with some locals telling BBC News they welcomed the changes.
One resident, Andrew Clarke, slammed the ‘unfettered expansion’ of the late-night venues in the area, bemoaning the broken glass and vomit in the street the following day.