Residents preventing London from becoming a 24 hour city, say business owners

By Hannah Neary, Local Democracy Reporter

Soho bars want to stay open all night but fear angry residents and strict council licensing rules will stop London becoming a truly 24-hour city.

Business owners said it was practically “impossible” to stay open after 3am as neighbours regularly complained about the noise while Westminster imposes licensing rules they feel are too strict.

But the council said it had a “legal duty” to protect the interests of residents in the area when making decisions on late-night licenses.

A residents’ group also said the brief introduction of outdoor dining in Soho had been “poorly managed”, leading to problems for residents.

James Langer, manager of Canwood 55, a new cocktail bar in Frith Street, said he’d love to see Soho become a truly 24-hour party spot. But he doubts it will ever happen because of pressure from residents who regularly complain about late-night noise.

He said: “It would definitely work. I find it strange that London doesn’t have anything open all night because it’s such a thriving city and one of the biggest cities in the world.

“But running anything after 3am is almost impossible. You tend to get residents who complain. Soho’s very busy with lots of night life. It just feels like a lot of people chose to live here and they like to get involved. It’s a very close community.”

Mr Langer, who has worked in hospitality for 22 years, said his bar currently has to close at midnight and must sell food to customers. He feels licensing rules are too strict and limit his business’ potential, so he plans to open much later and axe the food.

He said: “I really want to extend the licence, remove the food and extend the hours. That would make a massive difference to our takings. People come to us for cocktails and we are sort of pushing food on them. It’s a bit of a Catch-22.”

A spokesman for community group the Soho Society said: “The previous incarnation of road closures and outdoor dining introduced during and post pandemic were poorly managed resulting in a number of problems around access, amenity, cleanliness and safety. This mismanagement adversely impacted residents, workers and visitors.”

Westminster City council’s cabinet member for planning and economic development, Geoff Barraclough, said the authority had a “legal duty to weigh the impact of licensing on those living in the area as well as the businesses themselves”.

He said: “Licensing rules are applied on merit to all business across the board and consider the views of police and the affect they will have on wider services, such as street cleaning, public order and so on.

“People live and work on these streets and need access and accessibility, particularly for wheelchair users and others who may have difficulty navigating the streets.”

Pictured top: James Langer, Manager of Canwood 55, Frith Street, Soho (Picture: Hannah Neary)