Council set to crackdown on number of off-licences in Dewsbury

A ‘Cumulative Impact Assessment’ (CIA) is being introduced in Dewsbury and Huddersfield town centres by Kirklees Council.

If approved, it would limit the number of new off-licences and other venues where alcohol is purchased and then consumed elsewhere which can operate in the same area.

A formal recommendation to adopt the CIA is going to full council on Wednesday, January 15.

If agreed by members, it will come into force immediately and remain in place until a review is carried out in three years time, or sooner if necessary.

Aplicants wishing to obtain a licence will need to demonstrate the steps they will take so that the council and responsible authorities like the police, fire service and public health, can be assured that the granting of a new or varied licence will not add to the existing impact.

Plans to implement the new policy have been out to consultation, with 135 responses received.

For Dewsbury, 42 per cent of respondents felt there were too many of this kind of licenced premises, with 46 per cent saying they didn’t know.

Forty-five percent supported the enforcement of a CIA in the town centre, with 44 per cent unsure.

One person commented: “The sale of alcohol in Dewsbury Town Centre is causing the problem with street drinking during the day. I think that if alcohol was not so readily available, there would not be as many drinkers and people would feel safe to shop in the town.”