The Royal Borough of Greenwich is currently consulting on its new Statement of Licensing Policy, which will guide how it handles alcohol and late-night food licences until 2031. EGRA has submitted a detailed response, based on our experience of how licensing affects East Greenwich residents.
While we support many of the policy’s aims, there are several areas where we think it falls short – particularly in how it protects residential areas like ours from cumulative impact, late-night nuisance, and weak enforcement.
Here’s what we said.
The Cumulative Impact Zone must stay – and grow
We welcome the fact that East Greenwich, including Trafalgar Road and part of the Peninsula, remains a designated Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ). This means that any new or extended licences in the area must show they won’t add to existing problems like noise, litter, or late-night disruption.
But the current CIZ boundary is too limited.
It ends at Pelton Road on the river side and Calvert Road along Woolwich Road. That excludes River Gardens, Morden Wharf and other locations that have already seen problems from licensed venues, including Brew by Numbers – a riverside brewery that attracted complaints before it closed.
We’ve asked the council to extend the CIZ boundary eastwards, at least to Horn Lane or Westcombe Hill, and north to cover River Gardens and Morden Wharf. This would help prevent problems being displaced just outside the existing boundary.
Noise complaints should count
The council has decided to exclude noise complaints from the evidence base it uses to assess cumulative impact. We think that’s a mistake.
Noise is one of the most common and disruptive forms of harm linked to licensed premises. Residents are often reluctant to report every incident – especially if they believe nothing will happen – so relying only on formal complaint numbers is misleading.
We’ve asked that all forms of feedback be taken into account, including:
Informal reports to councillors or residents’ groups
Patterns identified by environmental health officers
Known hotspots flagged by local people
More enforcement is needed, not just better wording
The draft policy sets high expectations for businesses – from noise control to dispersal plans and anti-spiking measures. But there’s no indication of how these will be enforced.
We’ve asked the council to:
Set out how it will resource and prioritise enforcement
Publish annual reports on complaints and breaches
Increase inspections of venues in sensitive areas
Without proper follow-up, even the best policy won’t protect residents.
Don’t expand the Night Time Economy without safeguards
Greenwich Town Centre and Woolwich are being positioned as Night Time Economy (NTE) zones – areas that the council wants to encourage evening activity in. That’s fine in principle, but we’re wary of how that thinking might spread.
We’ve asked that any future expansion of NTE zones be subject to full consultation, and that residential protections always take priority, especially in places like East Greenwich which already have a dense mix of housing and busy roads.
Protect residents beyond the premises
The draft policy states that licensing isn’t responsible for behaviour once people leave a venue. While that’s technically true, it creates a vacuum. Too often, the impacts of late-night venues are felt on nearby residential streets – not inside the building itself.
We’ve asked the council to:
Require venues to have proper dispersal plans
Use stewards, signage and closing routines to reduce late-night disruption
Coordinate with police and community safety teams to close the enforcement gap
Make anti-spiking and safeguarding mandatory
We welcome the policy’s focus on male violence against women and girls, and on drink spiking – but these are currently just good practice, not enforceable rules.
We’ve called for these measures to be made conditions for all late-night licences, including:
Anti-spiking kits and staff training
Safe waiting areas for vulnerable customers
Visible signage and CCTV
EGRA wants to be kept in the loop
We’ve also asked that the council:
Notify EGRA and other local groups of all new licence applications in our area
Include us in any future reviews of CIZ or NTE boundaries
Hold regular briefings with residents' groups on local licensing issues
In summary
Licensing can have a big impact on the quality of life in East Greenwich. Done well, it supports safe and vibrant communities. Done badly – or not enforced – it adds to pressure on our streets, services and public spaces.
We’re calling on the council to strengthen the licensing policy in key areas:
Keep and extend the CIZ
Count noise complaints
Improve enforcement
Limit NTE expansion
Protect residents from late-night disruption
Make safety measures mandatory
Work with local groups like ours
You can read more about the consultation on the Greenwich Council website.
If you’ve got thoughts or experiences to share, email us at info@egra.london. We’ll keep making sure local voices are heard.