Next Thursday’s South Area meeting has some important issues, including crime and disorder problems on Hills Road and near the Cambridge Leisure Park. It will also be setting policing priorities and hearing about a city council policy on licensing lap-dancing clubs, after which planning applications will be determined.

The meeting’s at Homerton College and starts at 7.30pm. It is open to everyone, but will be focussing on issues relevant to the south of Cambridge, Queen Edith’s, Cherry Hint0n and Trumpington. You can view an agenda on the City Council website.

Extending the cumulative impact areas on Hills Road and at Cambridge Leisure

Hills Road has 17 licensed premises – restaurants, cafés, off-licences, pubs and hotels plus one club. It now has more alcohol-related crime per hectare than Mill Road. 94% of it takes place on the stretch of Hills Road between the Catholic Church and the Hills Rd VI Form College.

The Cambridge Leisure Park has 17 licensed premises all close together – The Junction, 6 bars, 8 restaurants and the Tesco Express’s off-licence. It is the only area in Cambridge where violent crime is on the rise, much of it alcohol-related. The Leisure Park is designated as a ‘cumulative impact area’ –this means that if anyone wants to get a licence they have to demonstrate that it will not add to the crime and disorder/ public nuisance of a concentration of licensed premises.

The Chief Superintendent, Rob Needle, wants to extend the cumulative impact area to take in the bit of Cherry Hinton Road opposite the Leisure Park (running from Hills Rd to Clifton Rd), and to make the stretch of Hills Road running from town to Purbeck Road a new cumulative impact area.

As this would be a change to Cambridge’s Statement of Licensing Policy (read more about this here) the Council is inviting public comment. The consultation runs until 31st March 2011.

Please write to:

The Licensing Team, Refuse & Environment Service, Cambridge City Council, Cambridge CB1 0JH

or email [email protected].

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