Otley Run: stricter controls on alcohol along pub crawl route to curb rowdy behaviour
Leeds City Council said there was overwhelming support for the measures
Stricter controls on alcohol licensing will be extended along the route of a famous pub crawl.
Leeds City Council said there was overwhelming support for measures to help curb rowdy behaviour on the Otley Run.
A Cumulative Impact Area (CIA), designed to limit harm from excessive alcohol sales, will be extended between Headingley and Hyde Park Corner.
Councillors voted to press ahead with the move following an analysis of police crime data and public consultation.
A report to the council’s Licensing Committee said: “Extending the Headingley CIA would address concerns about antisocial behaviour and public disorder along Otley Road and Headingley Lane.”
Businesses in CIA areas must demonstrate they would not add to drink-related problems when applying to sell alcohol or for changes to their licences.
Dozens of Headingley residents voiced support for extending the CIA in an initial consultation in November last year.
The council decided a more targeted six-week consultation was needed with residents and business.
Some 14 public responses were received to the latest consultation, all supportive of extending the CIA, councillors were told.
But JD Wetherspoon, which runs the only pub in the extended CIA area, the Golden Beam, did not support the proposal and said a more detailed consultation was needed.
The company questioned whether curbs on new licences or opening hours were justified on the Otley Run.
Its consultation response said: “A policy which goes beyond addressing the point of concern which gives rise to it is irrational.”
Last week Wetherspoon was partially granted an extension to the hours it can serve alcohol, by 30 minutes each day.
The pub was previously refused permission to serve Otley Runners after applying to the council to remove a condition on its premises licence.
Speaking at Tuesday’s Licensing Committee meeting, Conservative councillor Neil Buckley said: “It’s a shame about the Otley Run.
“If it was proportionate and people had fun and didn’t cause trouble, it would be great.”