MPs want town planners to help minimise disorder
The problem of alcohol-related disorder must be addressed through city planning, the Home Affairs Select Committee has ruled. The committee, which has just published its report into anti-social behaviour, called for minimum drinks pricing and paid-for policing to be made mandatory for licensed premises.
However, it also argued that planning action should be taken by local authorities to prevent crime and disorder linked to alcohol.
The report stated: "We recommend that all local authorities with a designated disorder area should have a duty to produce a plan indicating how they will provide the infrastructure to deal with the night-time economy."
It said that while it recognised that it will take time to reverse the high number of premises situated in city centres, it argued for the need for a wider diversity of premises.
The report said there were too many premises aimed at the under-25s and that this is recognised by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister through its changes in planning laws.
The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) presented evidence to the committee and also argued that there was a need for city centres to be better organised. It claimed town centre layouts and practices need to be adapted to include such items as effective street lighting, lines of visibility, the placing of footpaths and even the siting of taxi ranks.
In its submission ACPO said: "Local authorities should be setting wide-ranging town centre plans, driven by intelligence, which aim to set in place proven measures that reduce crime and disorder."
It also argued that licensed premises have an important role to play through the design of their pubs.
"Good design has a critical role to play in prevention, both in the built environment of town centres and in licensed premises themselves," it argued.
The government committee also called for better late-night transport and advised the government to identify the 50 worst areas for alcohol-related disorder and work with the local authorities responsible to solve the logistical problems.
