Whalley Residents Sounded out on Licensed Premises

Published: 31st July 2024

Whalley town centre

Whalley residents are being sounded out on the impact of licensed premises in the village.

Ribble Valley Borough Council has launched a probe into whether residents think the village’s ‘cumulative impact assessment’, or CIA, should be extended for a second time.

Cumulative impact assessments are undertaken to see if the number, type or density of licensed premises is too high, or serious problems of nuisance and disorder exist, or have started to exist outside or in the vicinity of those premises.

The assessment does not impact on existing licences, but must be taken into account if there are objections to applications for new or varied licences.

A CIA was approved for Whalley and Painter Wood in 2019 and extended in 2021, but Ribble Valley Borough Council wants to know if there is sufficient demand for a further extension.

Ribble Valley Borough Council’s head of legal and democratic services, Mair Hill, said: “In response to concerns about the proliferation of premises selling alcohol in Whalley, the council’s licensing committee requested an investigation in 2018 into whether there was sufficient evidence to warrant a formal cumulative impact assessment.

“Whalley residents and businesses, including licensed premises, were consulted about the matter, as a result of which an assessment took place.

“As the CIA extension is due to expire next spring, we want to know whether residents and businesses would like it extending again.”

The consultation asks a range of questions on the number of licensed premises in Whalley and Painter Wood, how respondents have been impacted by those premises and whether any more licences should be granted.

The results will be reported to Ribble Valley Borough’s Licensing Committee in October.

The consultation runs until Friday, 27 September, and is open to residents in the Whalley and Painter Wood ward.

The cumulative impact assessment and survey are available at ribblevalley.gov.uk, or by phoning Ribble Valley Borough Council on 01200 425111.

Hard copies of the survey are available at the Council Offices for residents to collect and return once completed.  For more information please visit Cumulative Impact Assessment Whalley – 2024.

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