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CLUBS and bars will become a catalyst for crime ridden streets if they are allowed to extend their serving times, residents have warned.

Council chiefs have been mulling over how they can support West End nightspots with licensers looking to scrap what are known as “cumulative impact zones”, a long-standing policy which limits the number of venues staying open late in a given area.

But the proposed relaxing of these rules has led to a backlash from community groups which say residents need protection in Camden Town and Seven Dials

The changes are due to be discussed by councillors later this month.

David Kaner, chair of the Covent Garden Community Association, said that some neighbourhoods were at saturation point.

He said: “No one denies that licensed premises are suffering from increased costs, the impact of the cost of living crisis on their customers and a shortage of staff.

“The council’s preferred way of supporting them seems to be to make it easier for them to stay open later, selling more alcohol and risking more crime, disorder, anti-social behaviour and nuisance in the streets into the early morning.”

The association says the current system is fairer and encourages new businesses to open in areas where late-night venues are less prevalent.

While the loss of licensed premises has been a long publicised downwards trend – made worse by the cost of living crisis and the Covid 19 pandemic – home office statistics published last week said Camden had seen a 13 per cent rise in licensed premises between 2017 to 2023.

Mr Kaner said: “We all want to support these businesses, but this cannot be at the expense of the lives of residents who live in the vicinity of them. We ask that Camden’s licensing committee keep the current framework hours and consults on a cumulative impact assessment, rather than decide that there isn’t any.” He added that currently pubs can apply for extra hours, but the owners had to show circumstances why.

The system, he said, worked and there was no need to radically alter it.

A council spokesperson said: “We have been considering a number of options to inform draft proposals relating to the development of the Camden statement of licensing policy, to ensure we can address the challenges faced by Camden’s evening and night-time economy and that we are supporting the interests of residents and businesses.”

The proposals would be published in due course ahead of the committee meeting scheduled for November 19 and proposals considered by the committee members would be subject to public consultation, they added.