IT IS well recognised within the NHS document “A Healthy Future for Blackpool” that alcohol related illnesses are the main reason for reduced lifespan in Blackpool: researchers have suggested that if all alcohol related deaths were prevented, men would be living on average 2 years longer.
Blackpool is also top of the league table for incapacity benefit claimants due to alcoholism.
For these reasons and for reasons of business viability there is a saturation policy in Blackpool which means that there are restrictions when it comes to opening new bars and pubs.
In 2008 when discussing a proposed J D Wetherspoon site on the promenade, Peter Callow said to the Gasjet;
“I am as concerned as many of your readers to see the granting of a licence to Wetherspoons to open a pub in the old Pricebusters building.
“In the circumstances, I have called for an urgent report from our legal team detailing how the council’s licensing policy has operated to date and suggesting ways in which it may be strengthened in order to ensure our saturation policy, aimed at making Blackpool a family friendly resort once again, will be able to be consistently upheld.
“There are more than enough opportunities to drink in Blackpool already.”
So, Peter slammed down his fists of iron and ordered a report (yes, a report) detailing ways in which the council could prevent more bars getting licenses. This was in 2008, so how are we doing now?
A few months ago the first JD Wetherspoon in the town centre opened its doors and by all accounts the Albert and the Lion is a very busy pub. What was that? Did someone say “another J D Wetherspoons has been approved on Market Street”?
Don’t get me wrong, I approve of pub chains like JD Wetherspoon opening in Blackpool. They might not be the ultimate in high quality social environments, but they’re a damn sight better than many bars in town and during the daytime can accommodate families. If a saturation policy is to be used, though, the council should be seeking to close down poor quality bars.
The alternative, of course, is a saturation policy implemented by market forces. Natural selection. Only so many bars can exist given a limited customer base. Some will be viable and some wont. It’s my view that Wetherspoon could have a similar effect that Travel Lodge had on cheap accommodation. It brought out a basic standard of quality, and bars that don’t shape up can die, as far as I am concerned.
So what exactly is Blackpool’s Saturation Policy, and why does it not apply when Wetherspoons come knocking?
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Not so easy though. Pub and club owners have rights. Once planning permission is granted for that use you can’t take it away from the building. And you can’t turn down people for licences without good reason. I think Callow does want to turn the town around – but it’s far from easy and perhaps he’s too closed circle in his advisers to see where things really need improving (nodding donkeys saying you are great all the time don’t get the best results).
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Brown envelopes? Although I agree Phil wetherspoons are fine,we are having one in Cleveleys and that is dearly needed!
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I don’t think it will be brown envelopes. I think it will be the knowledge that national organisations have enough money and clout to persue these things successfully at national level on appeal (whereas if you apply for something minor as a householder and no neighbour objects they’ll still likely to use your inexperience in the process to have a power trip and turn you down).
Someone’s obviously supplying kids with booze – and it shouldn’t be that hard to find out who. They should and remove their licences permanently (never mind messing about with fines and warnings). They also need to monitor who’s serving drunks or running bars where they can’t tell where the rounds of drinks being ordered are likely to turn up. Trouble is if Wetherspoons keep buying sites that aren’t currently pubs/clubs then that doesn’t mean they can stop other sites being licensed premises and the opporunity for drinking overall will soar. Personally I’d like to see a ban on fairies in the town centre on the hen dos – especially the one compulsory fat one in the groups with pale pink leotards stretched over their bulges.
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Frustrated, is thats the case, then why have a policy,surely a towns planning policy has weight in a court, otherwise the idea of one is meaningless.Probably why phil asks the question as well.
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Exactly. It’s a pointless non-entity, because it can’t be enforced. They can however enforce very strict licenses (which they do) and hound bars with Health & Safety inspections every week to try and shut them down (which they do).
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I still think its some dodgy back dealing, cos if they did appael, the town just says:”We have a policy”: end of.Surely?
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I’ve unapproved all the off-topic comments about Ed Miliband. This topic isn’t about Ed Miliband: if you want a topic about Ed Miliband then either email me about it or make one yourself.
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Fair enough, I panicked you had gone the same way as the Gasjet a minute, thanks for the note anyway Phil.
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No just trying to keep topics on-topic rather than go off on random tangents as many do lately.
For the record, David Miliband and Andy Burnham are the only two viable candidates in my opinion. Ed Miliband looks like Beaker from the muppet show and Ed Balls is a toffee-nosed hypocritical pompous pillock. And so is his wife/partner for that matter.
Anyway, write a topic about it if you want
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That’s fair enough Phil, spot on about Balls that’s why I want him to win as I have written in my article.
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look forward to that TB!
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Back on the subject anyway, excellent article Phil, I think this saturation policy is a load of tosh. I wrote an article on this myself a while ago. People say there are too many pubs and bars in Blackpool already, maybe so but there are too many rundown dives like the Happy Scots (when Hamish ran it, now it is mildly better under new management), pretty much every pub in that eyesore that is Foxhall and many town centre pubs. JDW is a welcome addition as far as I am concerned and I would like to see more venues in the calibre of The Sands. The Saturation Policy has nothing to do with health it is a silly policy that simply says ‘We have enough pubs, no more’, we should be encouraging new bars to open provided they are high quality. Look at the Palatine buildings there were 4 empty nightclubs in there (Palace, Jellies, Linekers and Klub DNA) now 3 with the opening of The Sands, we should strive to fill the other 3 with new bars/venues but look at quality not quantity.
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Here here 80 quality bars are better than 120 crappy ones!
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Too true. I would rather have JDW on every corner than some of the dives we have in Blackpool.
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Yep, exactly. Mr Callow doesn’t seem to understand that as good bars open, bad bars will close simply due to market forces. The market determines the number of bars in Blackpool.
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This is a man who coined the phrase “Peoples square”, “Peoples playground”; after Callow is a socialist, lol
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short answer – Wetherspoons have expensive lawyers
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