AGENDA ITEM: 7 CITY AND COUNTY OF CARDIFF DINAS A SIR CAERDYDD ECONOMY & CULTURE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE 14 JULY 2011

REPORT OF THE CARDIFFS NIGHT TIME ECONOMY TASK AND FINISH GROUP

Purpose of Report 1. To consider the report of the Cardiff Night Time Economy Task & Finish group. Background 2. As a part of the Economy and Culture Scrutiny Committee work programme for 2010-2011, Committee agreed to establish a Task and Finish Group inquiry into Cardiffs Night Time Economy. Membership of the Task and Finish group, consisted of Cllr M. Islam, Cllr R. Cook and Cllr C. Pearcy and Cllr E. Morgan. 3. The following terms of reference were agreed for the inquiry: To examine the impact and contribution made by the night time economy to the economic and cultural wellbeing of Cardiff. The inquiry will focus on the city centre area, and will seek to stimulate debate amongst Members and stakeholders by: developing an understanding of what is meant by the term night

time economy quantifying the cost and benefit of the night time economy to Cardiff

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examining the resources allocated to the night time economy and

how these compare to those allocated to the day time economy examining the impact of alcohol misuse on these resources examining whether the authority has a joined up approach to the

night time economy 4. The Task and Finish Group gathered evidence from a large number of sources, hearing from officers, stakeholders and other groups. Members also commissioned two pieces of research:

Public perceptions of Cardiffs night time economy (online and hard copy survey of the public perceptions of Cardiff at night, nearly 3000 Members responded, report available on request)

Service Provisions within Cardiffs night time economy (interviews with the key service delivery officers, report available on request)

. Issues 5. Steve Davies, Principal Scrutiny Officer, and Members of the Task and Finish group will be at the meeting to discuss the draft report. Way Forward 6. The draft report of the Task & Finish Group is attached in Appendix 1. Members attention is particularly drawn to the Key Findings section (pages 5-9) and the Recommendations section (pages 10-12). These sections are based on the evidence heard throughout the Task & Finish Group Inquiry. 7. Members may wish to consider the report, make any amendments and agree whether to approve the report for consideration by the Executive to help them inform their decision making. 8. Provided the Committee approves the report, the Chair will present it to the Executive at their next available meeting. Page 2 of 4

Legal Implications 9. The Scrutiny Committee is empowered to enquire, consider, review and recommend but not to make policy decisions. As the recommendations in this report are to consider and review matters there are no direct legal implications. However, legal implications may arise if and when the matters under review are implemented with or without any modifications. Any report with recommendations for decision that goes to

Executive/Council will set out any legal implications arising from those recommendations. All decisions taken by or on behalf of the Council must (a) be within the legal powers of the Council; (b) comply with any procedural requirement imposed by law; (c) be within the powers of the body or person exercising powers on behalf of the Council; (d) be undertaken in accordance with the procedural requirements imposed by the Council e.g. Scrutiny Procedure Rules; (e) be fully and properly informed; (f) be properly motivated; (g) be taken having regard to the Council's fiduciary duty to its taxpayers; and (h) be reasonable and proper in all the circumstances. Financial Implications 10. The Scrutiny Committee is empowered to enquire, consider, review and recommend but not to make policy decisions. As the recommendations in this report are to consider and review matters there are no direct financial implications at this stage in relation to any of the work programme. However, financial implications may arise if and when the matters under review are implemented with or without any modifications. Any report with recommendations for decision that goes to

Executive/Council will set out any financial implications arising from those recommendations.

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RECOMMENDATIONS The Committee is recommended to: 1. Consider the report of the Task and Finish Group 2. Endorse the report, subject to any comments the Committee wish to make, for submission to the Executive.

MIKE DAVIES Head of Scrutiny, Performance and Improvement 30 June 2011 Appendix 1 Cardiffs Night time Economy - draft report of the Task & Finish Group

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Appendix 1

A Report of the: Economy and Culture Scrutiny Committee

Draft Cardiffs Night Time Economy

June 2011

County Council of The City and County of Cardiff

CONTENTS

Chairs Foreword Terms of Reference Key Findings Recommendations What is the night time economy? Cardiffs night time economy: Location and use Cardiffs night time economy: Key statistics Managing Cardiffs night time economy Health and the night time economy Community Safety Strategic planning Licensing Waste Operations and Street Cleansing Transportation Highways Enforcement Increasing Quality and Diversity

3 4 5 10 13 19 33 44 46 53 58 62 67 71 74 75 76 82 84 84 85 86 87

Inquiry Methodology Legal Implications Financial Implications Committee Membership Terms of Reference Appendix 1 Land Use Maps and Floor Space

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CHAIRS FOREWORD

Councillor Mohammed Sarul Islam (Scrutiny Committee Chairperson)

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

Examine the impact and contribution made by the night time economy to the economic and cultural wellbeing of Cardiff. The inquiry will focus on the city centre area, and will seek to stimulate debate amongst Members and stakeholders by: developing an understanding of what is meant by the term night time economy quantifying the cost and benefit of the night time economy to Cardiff examining the resources allocated to the night time economy and how these compare to those allocated to the day time economy examining the impact of alcohol misuse on these resources examining whether the authority has a joined up approach to the night time economy Input will be sought from a wide variety of sources, enabling key stakeholders and interested parties, and the public to contribute to the debate. The information gathered from the debate will be used to inform recommendations to the Executive on the impact of the night time economy

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KEY FINDINGS 1. Cardiffs night time economy plays a significant role in the competitiveness of the city by generating wealth with a turnover of about 413 million per year, employing approximately 11,131 people, attracting tourists, and contributing to the social and cultural well being of the city. Whilst there are many positives the night time economy does carry costs and risks that mean that it requires management. Alcohol misuse in particular has repercussions. The specific costs for Cardiff are difficult to calculate, but two published documents give estimates on an all Wales basis. A figure of 69.9-73.3 million was estimated in 2008-9 1 while in 2006 the cost of alcohol related crime and disorder costs in Wales estimated to be some 750million2

a year.

2. Issues affecting the night time economy cut across the private, public and voluntary sectors emphasising the importance of a multidisciplinary approach. The Safer Capital Community Safety Partnership and the City Centre Team have historically driven improvements and successful innovations within the night time economy, however unlike other cities the Council has not developed a multi agency night time economy strategy. 3. Effective night time economy planning structures require a participatory approach with key stakeholders such as licensees, the security industry, hoteliers etc. The Council has achieved some notable successes such as plastic glasses and bottles on event days. However, the level of engagement with Licencees Forum, the security industry and other key stake holders on planning interventions and initiatives has been mixed with several stakeholders highlighting the need for a more robust events/activities approach to managing the night time economy (a role that is multi disciplinary, able to draw the key stakeholders together, and access resources for improvement, broader role than that of the night time economy officer).

1 Welsh Assembly Government (2010) Assessing the costs to the NHS associated with alcohol and obesity in Wales @ http://wales.gov.uk/docs/caecd/research/alcoholmisuseandobesityreporten.doc 2 National Public Health Service for Wales (2006) ALCOHOL AND HEALTH IN WALES: A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE @ http://www2.nphs.wales.nhs.uk:8080/vulnerableadultsdocs.nsf/($All)/C866F51E7F03DB32802571AA0 02F6081 /$File/ATT6QLZ1.doc?OpenElement

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4. The Councils Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) affecting the development of the night time economy is over 10 years old and aims to promote a balanced land use of the city centre, to protect retail and office space within the city centre. The councils city centre strategy is due for review. There are notable examples of SPGs in England which have attempted to implement land use revisions to promote a diverse mix of night time economy provision. 5. Planning guidance in England allows for the following used class orders A3 Restaurants and Cafs A4 Drinking establishments and A5 Hot food. The Welsh Government has not modified the used class orders and planners are limited to the A3 food and Drink Category. This reduces Cardiffs flexibility in the way it uses planning to promote a diverse night time economy. 6. In the interests of public safety and the avoidance of nuisance, the Council in 2005, adopted a Saturation Policy that limits any further premises to be licensed for the sale of alcohol in the St Mary Street area. The policy is supported by South Wales Police, the Licensees Forum and other key stake holders and it has been successful in limiting the number of clubs and bars. However, the policy has been successfully challenged by supermarkets. Since the adoption of the saturation policy areas such as Greyfriars Road have seen an increase in licensed premises. St Mary Street is currently being improved in an attempt to regenerate the area and it appears, to some witnesses, that there are difficulties in balancing the aims of the saturation policy with the need to regenerate the area with a number of vacant units now present on St Mary Street. 7. Night time transportation is the third biggest barrier to participating in Cardiffs night time economy. The city centre is taxi reliant after about 11:30, the introduction of supervised taxi ranks have helped reduce incidents. The need for permanent, covered and appropriately placed taxi ranks with improved night time telematics was stated by several witnesses High taxi standards are an essential factor in improving the customer experience within the city centre at night. Many members of the public have highlighted that there is a need to improve the customer experience within taxis at night.

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8. Bus companies state that there is no commercial viability of a night bus service within and departing from Cardiff to outlining areas such as the Valleys, and that such services required subsidy as in other areas of the country. The scrutiny research with responses from nearly 3000 members of the public highlighted that there is a need for cheaper improved public transportation late at night especially for those living outside of Cardiff. 9. The damaging effects of alcohol are well established and there is notable practice within Cardiff, in terms of the Welsh Ambulance Services Triage operating on St Mary Street, and the Plastic Glasses initiative. With the increases in home drinking and pre loading there is a perception that policy and practice within night time economy related policy would benefit from improved linkage with the wider alcohol and health agenda. Innovations such as the Alcohol Concern Licensing Policy Health Check Award, Liverpools Safer Alcohol Retailing Officer, alcohol awareness training etc. exist to drive forward improvements. 10. Crime, anti social behaviour and fear of crime are significant issues for Cardiffs night time economy affecting the citys image, putting pressure on services and limiting participation of the night time economy. Whilst night time economy related crime has been falling, we cannot avoid the status of alcohol as a controlled substance and the impact of alcohol related crime and disorder. The Police, Community Safety Partnership and the Council have undertaken several effective initiatives to improve safety levels within the night time economy including employing a night time economy officer, the after dark initiative, a CCTV control room, the business to business radios etc. In addition voluntary organisations such as Street Pastors provide an effective role in assisting vulnerable clientele. Within the current financial climate the sustainability of funding for services for the night time economy is becoming more of an issue. Alternative funding arrangements such as the Late Night Levy, more effective use of section 106 monies, and/or Business Improvement Districts are being debated as options for funding improvements to the night time economy within the UK.

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11. There is a perception that there is a softly softly approach to the policing of some antisocial behaviour at night such as street urination with the police deploying their limited resources to more serious offenses. Zero tolerance operations have taken place in other cities, however they are often resource intensive. The task and finish group would like to see progress in this area but recognise that there are significant resource implications. 12. Enforcement within the Council is departmentalised with several service areas having the responsibility for Council related enforcement within the night time economy these include highways, civil parking enforcement, licensing, waste etc. Whilst some service areas utilise intelligence lead enforcement such as the highly effective licensing traffic light system, or undertake joint operations, the operational hours of officers late at night on weekends are limited. In the case of the enforcement of street cafs the service area is reliant upon information from the public and the night time economy officer. Primary enforcement (compelling observance of or obedience to Council regulations on the spot) has the potential to prevent issues deteriorating. This practice is limited as the Council Officers who are deployed at night do not have authorisation. Enforcement authorisations for city centre staff have been undertaken in Sheffield and the Street Enforcement Service in Haringey. 13. Street cleanliness is hugely important to both residents and visitors and is one of the factors that most seriously impacts, positively or negatively on a city centres reputation. Whilst recent improvements to the street cleansing operations, preventative work with fast food premises, and the creation of street specific waste collection partnerships have had an effect, challenges remain: Funding levels and health & safety concerns prevent a service being operated between 11pm and 4am on the weekends. Other Councils have managed the risks late at night and risk mitigation options are available to the Council. Littering (glass/cans) at drop off points remains an issue Members were concerned to learn that at peak times within the night the waste enforcement outside fast food outlets does not systematically occur and the Council have not issued any Street Litter Control Notices. 8

Street urination remains an issue as does the lack of public toilet facilities at night. In addition the accepted night time economy related recommendations of the Public Conveniences Environmental Scrutiny Report in 2009 have not been fully implemented.

14. Increasing the quality of and diversifying the night time economy is seen by the many observers as a solution to some of the negative aspects of the night time economy. Members of the public also highlighted this area as a key area for improvement. Potential improvement measures include: Purple Flag Enhanced bar staff training SPG Land use revisions and area action plans to promote diversity Place marketing activities to attract quality businesses Improved promotion of the range of activities available at night within the city Night time economy events programmes such as the light night initiative Potential of opening and diversifying public buildings in the evening

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RECOMMENDATIONSThe Task and Finish group gathered evidence from a wide range of sources, including officers, stakeholders, research and publications concerning the topic area. The group has developed recommendations from the key findings mentioned previously, which are based in turn on the body of evidence presented in the report. The Task and Finish Group would recommend the Executive to:

Strategic Management R1. Develop a night time economy strategy that sets out a clear vision for the future and creates a firm platform for improved partnership working, securing funding and actions for improvement, for the various night time economy locations in the city centre. R2. Develop robust management mechanisms to ensure that businesses (including the security industry and Licensees Forum), and other key stake holders are effectively engaged in planning for improvement at an early stage.

Planning R3. Review the Supplementary Planning Guidance affecting the night time economy to ensure that it is aligned with the night time economy strategy and supports the diversification agenda. R4. Make further representations via the WLGA and directly to the Welsh Government to alter the current A3 Food and Drink Category to that used by England (A3 Restaurants and Cafs A4 Drinking Establishments and A5 Hot food).

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Licensing R5. Review the current Saturation Policy in light of the need to support diversity, growth of the night time economy in other areas of the city and the need for regeneration. Transport R6. Make direct representations to the taxi industry and assist in raising Taxi standards at night. Examples for improvement could include: R7. Improved complaints mechanisms Improved placing and structures of ranks Raising public awareness of how to complain (e.g. information on taxi windows, at taxi ranks other technological applications) Customer Service Training

Undertake meaningful discussions with Cardiff Bus and our regional partners (SEWTA) about how to improve late night public transport provision on the weekends.

Health R8. Develop in partnership with the LSB an approach to improving safer retailing practices as to the sale of alcohol and examine the potential of the Liverpool Safer Alcohol Officer Model.

Funding Improvements R9. Review and implement good practice from other cities (Nottingham and Liverpool) who are more effective at working with the private sector to fund improvements to Community Safety, non alcohol lead events (e.g. Street Entertainment, Festivals) via Business Improvement Districts.

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Enforcement R10. Develop a robust, cost effective approach to primary enforcement in the city centre at night by authorising and providing appropriate enforcement training to a wider range of Council Officers who already work within the city at night.

Waste & Street Cleansing R11. Improve the approach to the waste enforcement of fast food outlets at night and actively consider the issuing of Street Litter Control Notices. R12. Investigate the gap in provision of waste services between 11pm and 4am on weekends by exploring the funding gap and assessing the measures that exist to mitigate the health and safety concerns. R13 Investigate measures to reduce the amount of flyer related litter at night including imposing a no flyer zone.

Improving Quality and Diversity R14 Implement in partnership with key stakeholders specific measures to improve the quality and diversity of the night time economy. These could include: Purple Flag Enhanced bar staff training Place marketing activities to attract quality businesses Improved promotion of the range of activities available at night within the city Non alcohol lead events programmes such as the light night initiative, the opening of public buildings in the evening.

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What is the night time economy?1. The task group considered the many definitions of the night time economy. common definition is, consumption in the legal on and off-trade in licensed leisure and entertainment (drinking, dancing and eating, as one respondent described it).The night-time economy refers primarily to the entertainment areas of towns and cities, frequently clustered in the centres, and consisting of bars, pubs, clubs, and fast-food outlets 3 .

2. Whilst there is no universally accepted definition of the night time economy, Members heard that it is apparent that there are a number of characteristics and key activities which help to shape and define it. In its broadest sense, the night time economy can be considered to occur between the hours of 6pm and 6am and involve a wide range of leisure activities (e.g. pubs, clubs, cinemas, retail, theatres, cafes or restaurants) and those public services which exist to support it (e.g. transport, policing, enforcement and street cleaning). 3. Some night time economies may be planned whilst others may have developed more organically, this in part gives localised night time economies their own individual character. The character of night time economies may also vary in respect of the time in which they operate (such as a defined bar culture) or the focus of particular activities (i.e. live music). Understandably, the character of individual night time economies will determine the nature and level of public services needed to support them.

Legislative framework 4. The task and finish group were provided with the key legislation affecting the night time economy: 5. Licensing Act 2003: establishes a new single integrated scheme for licensing premises that are used for the supply of alcohol. The Act transfers responsibility3

Finney A, 2004 Violence in the night-time economy: key findings from the research. Home Office Findings 214

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for licensing of clubs and pubs to local authorities and takes account of the impact of licensed premises on the wider community. Local authorities are asked to be mindful of thriving night time local economies which are important for investment and employment. It replaces a national closing time with local decisions about flexible closing times. One of the key objectives of the Act is to balance the needs of businesses with those of residents and local communities. 6. The Act provides a framework for local authorities in developing licensing policies and assessing licensing applications. In undertaking these functions the authority should promote the licensing objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder; public safety; the prevention of public nuisance; and the protection of children from harm.

7. Crime and Disorder Act 1998 gives local authorities more responsibilities with regards to strategies for reducing crime and disorder. Whilst these two pieces of legislation were highlighted as the main legislation due to the night time economys cross cutting nature there are several other policies and guidance documents at a UK, Welsh Government level relevant to the night time economy. 8. Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 6, Planning for Town Centres, refers specifically to managing the evening and night time economy (Paragraphs 2.232.26 and 2.22). It encourages a pro-active plan-led approach to night time economy issues in town centres. Diversification of uses in the town centre as a whole is encouraged, with tourism, leisure and cultural facilities which appeal to a wide range of age and social groups provided throughout the centre. 9. It suggests that local authorities should prepare planning policies to help manage the night time economy, encouraging a range of complementary evening and night time economy uses which appeal to a wide range of age and social groups. Policies should ensure that provision is made where appropriate for a range of leisure, cultural and visitor activities such as cinemas, theatres, restaurants and cafs, pubs, bars and night clubs.

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10. Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, under Section 38 all venue owners and operators have a responsibility to ensure that they do not knowingly allow supply or use of any controlled drug on their premises. 11. Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003: The Act required all local authorities, police and other key agencies to enforce clear standards of behaviour and gave them the tools to do so (supporting the use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and Fixed Penalty Notices for Disorder). The Act widens the powers available to shut down establishments that create noise nuisance and powers to disperse groups in designated areas suffering persistent and serious anti-social behaviour. 12. The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 has been introduced to provide the police and local authorities with additional powers to tackle alcohol-related crime, and knife and gun crime. It is the latest stage of the governments strategy to build safer communities by tackling violent crime in all its forms. The Bill introduces Drinking Banning Orders and Alcohol Disorder Zones. Alcohol Disorder Zones are promoted as an additional tool for holding licensees accountable for the impact their business has on local communities. 13. The Social Responsibility Standards for the Production and Sale of Alcoholic Drinks in the UK was drawn up with the government and a number of key alcohol trade associations and organisations in 2005. The core of these standards is the Alcohol Social Responsibility Principles. These should underpin all the sales and marketing activities relating to alcohol drinks within the UK. These standards are currently self regulatory. 14. Working Together to Reduce Harm The Substance Misuse Strategy for Wales 2008-2018 highlights that the Welsh Government want partners to take a holistic approach to the management of our towns and cities during the evening and night time, and will work with local partners to implement evening and night time economy frameworks across Wales 15. Managing the evening and night time economy A draft framework for tackling alcohol related crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour in towns and cities in Wales. The purpose of this document is to provide a framework for Community 15

Safety Partnerships (CSPs) and other stakeholders to help them in the development of plans and strategies to tackle alcohol related crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour in towns and cities in Wales. The draft guidance is currently being updated. 16. Cardiff Council has many policys that relate to the night time economy and are detailed in the table below States that the city centre and night-time economy have received negative media attention, despite some very successful improvement measures from partners. Alcohol accounted for the highest proportion of substance misuse in Cardiff, representing 44% of the total number of individual referrals to services. Cardiff had a lower rate of alcohol abuse per 100,000 of the population than many other Welsh authorities and comes out 15th of the 22 authorities. States that Cardiff, as an International Capital City, is an inclusive, vibrant and thriving city in which to live and work, with a skilled creative workforce and a buoyant business environment Contains aims : To provide an effective night-time public transport service To promote leisure and night-time uses, whilst minimising any harmful social, economic and environmental effects To take appropriate action to ensure that licensed premises can operate safely, do not cause nuisance, crime and disorder or harm to children in the interests of ensuring a thriving and balanced night time economy Paragraph 10 says: Local planning authorities should consider whether proposals for new noise-sensitive development would be incompatible with existing activities, taking into account the likely level of noise exposure at the time of the application and any increase that may reasonably be expected in the foreseeable future. Such development should not normally be permitted in areas which are, or are expected to become, subject to unacceptably high levels of noise and should not normally be permitted where high levels of noise will continue throughout the night. This planning guidance note aims to assist people who are considering setting up, physically extending, or altering the opening hours of a food and drink business 16

What matters strategy Draft consultation

Cardiff Economic Strategy 2007-12

City Centre Strategy

TAN 11

Restaurant takeaways and other food and

drink uses Supplementary Planning Guidance Supplementary Planning Guidance Premises for Eating, Drinking & Entertainment in the City Centre 2000 Public Realm Manual

within the city. Provides additional guidance on the assessment of proposals for eating, drinking and leisure-related uses in the city centre, and sets out issues that must be considered in relation to their potential impact on an areas vitality, attractiveness and viability.

The Tourism Strategy for Cardiff 2009-2014

Licensing ct 2003 Statement of alcohol, entertainment and late night refreshment licensing policy January 2011

The Public Realm Manual aims to achieve a high quality public realm throughout the city centre that will help to enhance the experience of the city for residents, workers and visitors. The manual states that it is important to acknowledge the diverse range of uses and functions that the city centre accommodates and the Public Realm Manual seeks to create streets and public spaces that provide an attractive and enjoyable pedestrian-friendly environment that is suitably robust to stand up to the pressures of everyday uses, including delivery and service vehicles, major events and the night-time economy. The night time economy is not specifically featured within the strategy however references are made in relation to the importance of optimising overnight visitor spend and in the identification of young entertainment seekers within the market segments analysis. This statement has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003. Its purpose is to regulate licensed activities, qualifying club activities and temporary events as defined in the Licensing Act 2003. This Statement of Licensing Policy applies to all applications, notices, representations and requests the authority could receive under the Licensing Act 2003. Saturation Policy Negative Cumulative Impact A Saturation Policy has been adopted for both the St. Mary Street area and the City and Crwys Road areas of the city. The Licensing Authority has adopted the policies in the interests of public safety and the avoidance of nuisance, following South Wales Police representations. Details of the Special Saturation Policies are included within this Statement. Contains details of the policies and principles applicable to hackney carriage and private hire operators, drivers and vehicles are laid out in this document. The main principle adopted by the licensing authority in respect of hackney carriage and private hire licensing is that the safety of the public is paramount. 17

Statement of licensing policy relating to hackney carriage and private hire vehicles, operators and drivers

Licensing Enforcement Policy 2008

Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Gambling Licensing Policy 2010

Information about adopting a positive and pro-active approach towards ensuring compliance with the requirements of licensing legislation by helping and encouraging people to meet the requirements and by responding proportionately to breaches. Many licensed activities take place outside normal office hours and the service will monitor activity at these times while the operation is taking place. Under the Gambling Act 2005 every Licensing Authority has to publish a Statement of Licensing Policy which sets out the principles that it proposes to apply in exercising its functions under the Act. Accordingly this Statement has been prepared by Cardiff Council in accordance with the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005 and its Regulations The licensing objectives are: To prevent gambling from being a source of crime and disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime; To ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way; and To protect children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling. Permissions to use the highway for street cafes are granted by the issue of licences by the City Council as the Highway Authority under Section 115E of the Highways Act 1980. Cardiff County Council supports and encourages the provision of street cafes in the city centre, as they make a positive contribution by adding vitality, colour, life and interest to the street scene.

Street Cafes on the Highway A guidance note for applicants

17. Unlike other cities with busy night time economies, Members were informed that Cardiff does not have a specific Night Time Economy Strategy to guide development, coordinate interventions and improvements and attract funding. 18. Members were informed of the work undertaken by Liverpool City Council in developing a robust action plan for Designing out Crime, undertaken by Make Associates. The document contains a vision for the city centre at night, area based action plans and recommendations for improvement relating to crime policing and enforcement, safety and health, access and movement, diversity and quality.

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Cardiffs night time economy: Location and use19. Members conducted a night time economy appraisal, utilising Purple Flag night time appraisal methodology that took place on Friday 25th October 2010 from 11pm until 2 am. Escorted by Council Officers and the Cardiff Business Safe Manager, Members were provided with descriptions of the key night time economy areas and the relevant interventions taking place within the city at night. For the purpose of this report what follows is a description of five theoretical night time economy zones which are highlighted in the figure 1 below.

Figure 1: Notional areas of Cardiffs Night time economy

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Saint Marys District20. This area is the busy historic heart of Cardiff and includes St Mary Street, Woods Street, and Westgate Street (lower St Mary Street) etc. These streets sit amongst an extremely lively night-time economy with the citys greatest concentration of pubs, bars, and night clubs (many of these are large format), in addition there are a number of restaurants and a large retail outlet that operates into the early evening. A sample of establishments in this area include 4 :Walkabout, Yard Late Bar, O'Neills Late Bar with Dancefloor Prince of Wales Modern Pub (Wetherspoon) Fantasy Lounge Lap Dancing, Philharmonic Bar/Nightclub, Kitty Flynn's Pub (Brains), Kiwi's etc. 21. This street and surrounding area has been the subject of a Council Saturation Policy that aims to reduce the negative cumulative impact of licensed premises as a result the Council will not permit any further premises to be licensed for the sale of alcohol in the St Mary Street area in the interests of public safety and the avoidance of nuisance, although the individual merits of each application will be taken into consideration. 22. The lower end of St Marys street is usually closed to all traffic on Friday and Saturday nights, to allow the efflux from night clubs and pubs located in that part of the street to clear. Footfall data indicates that St Mary Street is busiest on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights peaking between 11pm and midnight. 23. Night time Ambassadors operate two taxi ranks in this area. Members viewed the improvement works relating to pedestrianisation of St Mary Street and noted the several empty units. They also noted that many people had a general lack of awareness of their surroundings.

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This list is not exhaustive descriptions have been taken from http://www.bigcardiff.co.uk/cardiff-pub-guide.php & http://www.keytothecity.co.uk/barscastle.htm

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24. The range charts below highlight the peak times for Anti Social Behaviour and violence against a person on St Mary Street.

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Castle Quarter25. The Castle Quarter is a commercial area in the north of the city centre and includes some of Cardiff's Victorian and Edwardian arcades: Castle Arcade, High Street Arcade and Duke Street Arcade, and principal shopping streets: High Street, Castle Street and Duke Street. A redevelopment of the area began in February 2010 in order to create the Castle Quarter as a pedestrian friendly environment for High Street and St Mary Street and was designed to enhance the city centre. High Street's unique mix of independent shops, banks, restaurants and professional services is an important part of its appeal, and it is hoped that the redevelopment will strengthen connections between the arcades and Cardiff Castle. 26. In terms of the night time economy this area of Cardiff, based around Duke Street, St John Street, High Street, Church Street and the historic Womanby Street. Venues within this area are a mix of smaller bars and clubs many of which are traditional and independents with a strong culture of live music. There are also a range of restaurants available. A sample of premises within in this area include, Gatekeeper, Revolution Bar Castle Street, Cardiff O'Neills; Rummer Tavern Pub; Clwb Ifor Bach Live Music/Nightclub; Old Orleans Bar/Restaurant; Zero Degrees Bar/Club/Music Venue; Goat Major Pub (Brains); City Arms Pub (Brains), Dempseys Pub (Brains), Ten Feet Tall Bar, Old Arcade Pub (Brains) etc

Friary Quarter27. To the north east of the city centre is Friary Quarter a traditional office location that has recently seen conversion to bars, apartments and premier hotels (such as the Hilton, Park Plaza and Park Hotel). This area is popular with students and as a result night time activity is busy during the week, Members were informed of the difficulties this caused to hotel business. 28. This area includes Greyfriars Road, Park Place and The Friary. Since the adoption of the Saturation Policy for St Mary Street this area of Cardiff has expanded with new bars on Greyfriars Road and The Friary have now produced Cardiff's second main nightlife district. Footfall data for Greyfriars Road indicates 22

that weekend, Monday and Thursday nights are the busiest. Interventions such as road closures and use of City Centre Ambassadors (taxi marshals) have been utilised within this area with varying degrees of success. Members also noted some empty units. 29. Venues within this area include a variety of restaurants, the New Theatre and bars and clubs such as, Oceana Bar and Nightclub Complex, Fat Cat Caf Bar, Browns Bar, Varsity Late Bar with Dancefloor, Steam Bar, The Crockerton, Lloydd's No1, Tiger Tiger Bar/Nightclub, Henrys, Glam Nightclub Club; Live Lounge Late Bar. 30. The range charts below highlight the peak times for Anti Social Behaviour and violence against a person.

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31. This location contains a wide variety of businesses including hotels that have highlighted the issues of having late night venues in close proximity to accommodation. Hotels such as the Hilton and Park Plaza have reported several issues with external noise arising from taxis, licensed premises and general street noise which has impacted adversely on their businesses.

Number 1 Complaint for 3 years = External Noise

And constantly increasing by 10% per year 1 in 4 guests give noise related, negative feedback 25% 18%10 5 0 % of Noise complaints 2008 2009 2010

25 20 15

15%

Source - Hilton

The Legal Quarter32. This area is a quieter zone of Cardiffs night time economy that comprises of the streets of Windsor Place, Windsor Lane, Dumfries Place, Stuttgarter Strasse, St Andrews Crescent, St Andrews Lane, St Andrews Place, Park Grove, Museum Place, Park Lane and parts of Park Place. Broadly the area is favoured for office development and contains a concentration of legal offices and a number of listed buildings. Due to its protected status within the Northern Professional Office Area Planning Brief there have been limited developments of the night time economy and the area is a quieter mix of smaller pubs, clubs, restaurants and theSherman Theatre. These include:

Buffalo Late Bar ( individual and independent bar ) 33 Windsor Place Bar (Brains) Quiet, plush business bar. Central Bar Bar (Wetherspoon)

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Pen and Wig Pub Park Grove Traditional business pub, popular with lecturers and mature students.

Cardiff Arts Institute Bar Caf Quarter33. The Caf Quarter is also the central retail location within the city centre with St Davids Shopping Centre and Queens Street being the principal shopping location. Well known night time economy related streets include Mill Lane, and the Hayes etc. With its mix of apartments, evening retail, restaurants, live venues such as the St Davids Hall and Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, pubs and clubs. The Caf Quarter offers a range of night time choice to the public. In addition affordable parking is available within the heart of the city. 34. The restaurant offer within this area is wide with a mix of chain and independent businesses. Pubs and clubs within this area include: Pic by David Morgan

Kings Cross Bar Golden Cross Pub (Brains with Dancefloor) Mocka Lounge Late Bar with Dancefloor Copa Bar Is It? Late Bar Soda Bar/Nightclub Mill Lane Small upstairs bar/club with roof garden. Gio's Bar/Nightclub Wellingtons Pub (Brains) Gala Casino Casino

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Independent Quarter35. This area of the citys night life is concentrated around the streets of Charles Street and Churchill Way and provides a mixture of residential uses, independent shops, pubs clubs and restaurants. Similar to other major cities Cardiffs gay venues, are mostly focused around one area of the city. Venues within this area include: Minsky's Bar/Nightclub Traders Tavern Pub David Street, Cardiff Exit Late Bar Golden Cross Pub (Brains) Bar Icon Late Bar Wow Bar Exit Club X Bar and Nightclub

Footfall36. In terms of the use of the city centre at night Members were informed that the citys footfall was constantly monitored via an automated system called Springboard. Springboards technology monitors pedestrians or vehicles in any type of external environment, continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: A small counting device is mounted on either a building or lighting/CCTV column, a virtual zone is defined and pedestrians who travel through the zone are recorded. Pedestrian numbers are recorded using the very latest people counting software based on target specific tracking. Data is audited each day by Springboard, uploaded daily to an internet server where it is permanently stored and retrieved for analysis.

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37. Figure 2 is a typical Springboard analysis of the Queens Street footfall at night. Members were informed that the peaks were Saturday night and Sunday morning. On an average weekend the citys night time economys footfall ranges from between 30,000 and 40,000 and on events days between 65,000- 100,000.

Figure 2 Footfall data

38. Members were also provided with a time profile of the night time economy that highlighted the movement patterns into and out of the city centre at night. It was noted that the patrons were at their most vulnerable to being targeted between the hours of 4:00am to 6:30am. Figure 3 highlights the specific time profile. Members were informed that due to the large student population of Cardiff weekdays (Wednesdays were particularly busy especially on Greyfriars Road).18:00hrs After work drinkers, dining and shows 23:00hrs Late drinkers and clubbing 04:00hrs Early morning drinking - a few licensed premises 06:30hrsPeople accessing the City and Bay have generally not consumed any alcohol People leave the City and Bay after a meal, show or drink People access the City and Bay having consumed alcohol at home or in neighbourhoods People leave the City and Bay after the main Clubs have closed having consumed alcohol People access the licensed premises having consumed a lot of alcohol or are sober looking to take advantage of individuals People leave the City after the final bars close

Figure 3 Night time economy time profile

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39. In conducting the night time economy appraisal Members were informed of the typology of the city centre at night. Figure 4 uses text to describe the general operational typologies of these ground floor land uses. This goes beyond the normal bar, pub and club descriptions by starting to describe the sorts of clientele that uses different parts of the city.

Figure 4: Cardiff Night time economy typology

40. The research conducted by the scrutiny research team, involving nearly 3000 members of the public, highlighted to members the following points about the use of the of the city centre at night:100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%42%

What are the best things about Cardiff City Centre at night?92%

38% 28% 22% 22% 21% 19% 19%

34%

Restaurants Bars / Clubs

Theatres / Live shows

Shopping

The variety of Atmosphere entertainment

Live music

Cinemas

Safety

Other

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Why visit Cardiff city centre by gender70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 66% 57% 55% 42% 28% 26% 13% Bars Restaurants Theatre Sport Shopping 25% 36%

65%

Male

Female

The majority of respondents visit the city centre fortnightly or less, between 7pm 11pm and spend between 21 - 50. The most popular reason for peoples visits was for bars / clubs and restaurants though older respondents tended to visit for the theatre and live shows.

Younger people visited the city centre more often and until later but older respondents spent more on their visits. Males visited the City centre at later times, more often and spent more than females on an average visit.

41. The graph below highlights the reasons for visiting the night time economy by age group.Why do you visit Cardiff City Centre by age100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0%Bars Restaurant Theatre Cinema Sport Live Music Other45% 21% 79% 64% 59% 46% 23% 64% 44% 47% 31% 20% 19% 22%16% 34% 28% 25% 6% 2% 4%

under 35

35-55

over 55

42. Cardiff Students Union described student usage of the city centre at night that is illustrated in figure 5. There are 4 Universities within Cardiff with a large student population of approximately 50, 000 of who utilise Cardiffs night time economy venues from the larger more mainstream venues to the smaller alternative bars.

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Clubs and Societies are often sponsored by some venues and there are often conditions attached for example use of bar for refreshments etc.

Figure 5. Student usage of the night time economy

43. In addition a large number of students are employed within night time economy venues and often work on promotions. Details of promotional activities were provided including: Drinks offers (1 a shot, double & mixer 2, 1.50 a pint) Offers on bulk purchases (shot sticks, pitchers, Buy One Get One Free etc) Book tables parties (VIP area, hospitality area drinks) Cheap tickets for student nights, group discounts, queue jumps Variety of experiences (e.g. Themed rooms)

44. It was noted that weekend student use tended to be located around the Students Union area with Mondays and Wednesdays (sports night) being the most popular nights during the week. Generally, students dont use areas such as St Mary Street on the weekends as it is viewed as hostile and/or for the older crowd. 45. The promotion of the night time economy was highlighted to the task and finish group: Promotion/advertising via flyers, facebook, banners Club ticket reps climax /rough hill promotion companies target student halls of residence. Students are often employed to undertake this work. 30

Freshers week targeted On nights out promotions teams directly market vouchers to students

46. On nights out, promotion teams working in busy student areas attempt to influence people on a night out. The promotional nights such as Carnage and Invasion were highlighted as a concern. Carnage UK is run by Birminghambased Varsity Leisure Group Ltd, who arrange events for an estimated 350,000 undergraduate students in 45 towns and cities each year. The company charges students 8 for which they receive a t-shirt and free entry to around 6 pubs, bars and nightclubs. Many of the venues offer drinks promotions during the events. Invasion operate a similar theme with students visiting other towns and cities. These events are not endorsed by the Students Union as they promote irresponsible drinking. Pre loading was discussed and the Students Union undertook health promotion activity on issues such as responsible drinking.

Pre loading 47. Throughout the inquiry Members discussed several issues relating to pre loading. Pre-loading also known as front-loading or pre-fuelling is the practice of having a drink at home or at a friends house before going out to a pub, bar, restaurant or club. It is an important recent trend affecting the night-time economy, and is more attractive for many consumers given the relative pricing difference between supermarket and pub/bar prices. 48. The Wilson Drinks Report (WDR) has completed research into pre-loading. Below is a summary chart showing how many drinks each age group typically consume at home before they go out, confirming that this practice is commonly utilised by the young.

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How many alcoholic drinks do you usually consume at home before going out?Average 1.7 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Average 1.0 12% 17% 25% 16% 52% 30% 15% 74% 82% Average 0.6 4% 11% 17% Average 0.4 3% 7% 14% Average 0.2 2% 4% 8%

26%

63%

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55+

0 drinks 2 drink

1 drink 3 or more drinks

49. Below is a summary of the findings from highlighting the main reasons for pre-loading 5 .

Wilson Drinks Report (2010) Pre-loading WDR perspective on the practice of pre-loading @ http://www.wilson-drinksreport.com/pre-loading

5

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50. Whilst the nature and extent of pre-loading in Cardiff has not been studied in detail, Members observed its likely impact on behaviour within the public realm: pre loaders discarding bottles and cans at drop off points within the city centre higher levels of consumption associated with pre-loading can sometimes lead to antisocial behaviour in the city centre that it may have lead to consumers entering the city centre later in the evening and staying out later into the early hours. Increased competition impacting on purchasing behaviour

51. Members discussed the responsibilities of the off-trade (supermarkets offlicences etc) as they have a key role in the issues impacting the city centre at night. In the information that Liverpool City Council provided the post of a Safer Alcohol Retailing Officer was discussed. This role was to focus on reducing the problems caused by excessive discounting and poor alcohol retailing practices. The day to day responsibilities of this post includes playing an honest broker between the citys agencies and Liverpool city centres licensed operators, encouraging higher standards regarding retail of alcohol, particularly concerning price and promotions, as well as advising licensed premises about the latest legislation and the citys initiatives on the night time economy.

Cardiffs night time economy: Key statistics

52. Members examined the key statistics gathered by the scrutiny research team, licensing, and planning. It was noted that several indicators were available at city wide level and that a high proportion of those figures represented activity within the city centre.

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53. In terms of the size and nature of the night time economy Members were provided with some historic Licensing figures for the whole of the City. Of the Premises licences and Club Premises Certificates issued the following table shows the type of premises involved in the Cathays area as on June 2011. Type of premise Casino Cinema Convenience store Hotel or guesthouse Off Licence Other Pub, bar Nightclub Registered members club Restaurant Sports Club Supermarket Takeaway Theatre Village and community hall Total Number 2 2 24 18 8 35 109 5 110 3 9 25 3 1 354

54. The following table shows the maximum terminal hour of licensed premises in comparison with the previous periods. It should be noted that many licences only permit the maximum terminal hour on certain days of the week, for example licensed activity until a terminal hour of 1.00am may be permitted only on Friday and Saturday.

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55. Members were also provided with the results of the land use and floor space surveys undertaken by Strategic Planning. Figures 6 and 7 highlight the ground floor uses in the city centre (Food and Drink (A3)) from 1999 and 2008. Floor space has increased by around 40% since 1999. Much of this growth is accounted for by licensed premises. In 2008, night time economy related activity 6 took up a total of 381,300 sq meters of city centre floor space, that accounted for 21.8% of the city centres floor space. St Marys Street, Westgate Street, Castle Street, have witnessed been the subject of change with Greyfriars Road now perceived as the city centres second largest night time economy zone.

Figure 6

Figure 7

Please see appendix 1 for full page versions of the above maps

56. The graph below highlights the occupied floor space by class from 1999 to 2008 and shows that A3 use has increased by 57% over the period however vacant floor space has increased also by 140% at 4,705 m.City Centre Floorspace A3: Food and Drink

120000 100000 80000 60000 40000 20000 019 99 20 00 20 01 20 02 20 03 20 04 20 05 20 06 20 07 20 08

Sq metres

Total Occupied Vacant

This includes the following planning landuse categorisations; A3 Food and Drink, c1 hotels and hostels and D2 includes Assembly and leisure (incl. cinemas, theatres, night clubs)

6

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57. MAKE Associates and TBR provided the task and finish group with the key economic data for the night time economy for the whole of the city. Utilising a research product called the Night-Mix Index (NMI) it was possible to gain an understanding of: The mix and size of businesses in the NTE How many businesses are associated with alcohol and/or food consumption Business births and deaths How the recession has affected the NTE Financial turnover of businesses in the NTE People employed by the NTE The relative strength of our own and our competitors' NTEs

58. The NMI makes use of TCR (Trends Central Resource), which is able to provide extensive detail and appreciation of issues which government datasets are not always able to provide. TCR provides a robust evidence base for comparative local economic analysis and is a data toolkit, containing information on economic performance, business activity, and ownership on an individual firm basis. The information held by TCR has been built up seamlessly since 1996 and is maintained as a longitudinal 10-year knowledge source. 59. The Night Mix figures include all core (Licences premises, food etc) night time economy firms irrespective of size and also include none-core activities such as, Accommodation Supply, Related Public Transport, Related Advertising and Display, Community Health and Public Order, Specialist Food Retail. 60. MAKE highlights to Members that the night time economy is often overlooked, yet is a crucial driver of tourism, leisure and business growth, employing 1.3m people and is worth 66bn to UK plc. In terms of the night mix data for turn over for all night time economy businesses in 2009 Cardiff ranked 28th within the UK (dropping 2 places since 2006) with the turn over being 413,117,000. In addition, in 2009, 1,112 night time economy related firms were in existence within

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the city (as a whole) ranking Cardiff 25th in terms of numbers of firms. A large proportion of this total comes from the city centres night time economy.

NTE firms change 2006 to 2009

61. It was noted that when assessing local economic impact large firms will have a distributed UK impact including the revenue recycling from exports which will feed back to the local parent location. Therefore Members were also provided with a more detailed appraisal of the economic information which excluded all core activity turnover coming from firms bigger than SMEs (i.e. 250 + employees). When utilising this model the turnover figure was 330.4 million. 62. Cardiffs night time economy in 2009 employed approximately 6849 staff the graph below highlighted the comparisons with similar areas. Utilising different data sets in 2008, it was estimated that there were 11,131 employees working in the Evening Economy business (accommodation, restaurants and bars) in the whole of Cardiff with 3,808 being employed in bars 7 .Members noted that the employment figures included a large proportion of part time and casual staff.

7

Source ABI

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COMPARATIVE EMPLOYMENT

63. Members viewed the comparative data sets that highlighted similarities in night time economy firm densities with Swansea and Bristol.

NTE firm density

64. In terms of city centre data, Members were provided with information relating to Cathays Ward that contains the city centre. Benchmarking data taken from the

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ABI 2008 highlights that Cardiff Cathays Ward is ranked 16th in terms of the absolute number of Evening Economy 8 related businesses in 2008.

8

Restaurants bars and accommodation providers

39

65. The proportion of all businesses in Cardiff - Cathays Ward which are part of the night time economy was 12% in 2008. As a proportion this is lower than many other areas including Blackpool, Brighton, Plymouth, York, Newcastle, Swansea etc. Average spend

66. The task and finish group were provided with the spending research undertaken with 2,882 members of the public. The vast majority of respondents spent between 21 and 50 with nearly half as many spending 51 - 80. Roughly half as many again spend 20 or less and half that figure again spent 81 - 100.

How much do you usually spend on a night out in Cardiff city centre? 3% 6% 13% 23%

20 or less 81-100

21-50 100 and above

55% 51-80

67. These figures were also grouped for clearer analysis when cross tabulating with other factors.Average spend per visit, grouped

32% 50 or less Over 50 68%

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68. Using these groupings it is clear to see that those who visited the city centre more often did not spend as much as those who visit less frequently.Spend by location100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Resident of Cardiff Non resident of Cardiff 74% 56% 26% 44%

50 or less

over 50

69. Furthermore, it is also evident from the research that that those visiting the city centre for sporting activities, the theatre and restaurants, tend to spend more than those visiting for the cinema and live music. The findings for bars / clubs and shopping were not statistically significant and so could not be included.

Spend by Activity100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Restaurants Theatre Cinema50 or less

66% 34%

64% 36%

78% 61% 39% 22% SportOver 50

72%

28% Music

70. Despite visiting less frequently, older respondents did tend to spend more on their visits with 38% of 35 55 year olds and 34% of over 55s spending over 50 per visit, compared to 26% of those under 35. Based on the information provided by the Students Union, students tend to spend between 10-15 on a quieter night to 30-40 on a busier one.

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71. There were only very minor differences in spend and frequency of visit in relation to responses from different genders. However males visited the city centre slightly more often and at a later time but the majority of both genders visited between 7 11pm. Males also spend more on an average visit into the city centre. 36% of men spent 50 or above on an average visit compared to 26% of women. Crime and Disorder 72. It was noted that generally crime within the city centre at night was falling, Members received an update of the position from the Community Safety Partnership Analyst regarding the levels of crime and disorder within the city at night. The graph below highlights the yearly comparison for antisocial behaviour within the city centre between 6pm to 6am for April to September that confirmed the lowering trend.9

Yearly Comparison of Anti-Social Behaviour1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 997 810 715 1014

73. The graph and hot spot map below highlights that St Mary Street, Queens Street and Greyfriars Road are the top areas for antisocial behaviour and violence against a person on weekends in the early hours.

9 SOURCE: SOUTH WALES POLICE/CRIME MAPPING, AVERAGE SECOND QUARTER CRIME FIGURES PER MONTH FOR CARDIFF CITY CENTRE INCLUDING CATHAYS. APRIL TO JUNE 2009-2010

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74. Members were provided with information regarding the timings of incidents of antisocial behaviour and violence against a person for the city centre which highlighted that they peaked during the night time on weekends in the early hours.

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Managing Cardiffs night time economy75. The Task and Finish group were provided with the management structures affecting the night time economy. At the time of the inquiry the Safer Capital Community Safety Partnership and the City Centre Improvement group were the main structures involved in the coordination of night time economy interventions.

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Partnership Working Vision Proud Capital Community Strategy 2007 -2017 Safer Capital Community Safety Partnership

Local Authority Corporate Plan 2010-2013 Business Plan

Neighbourhood Management & PACT meetings

Cardiff Business Safe

City Centre Improvement Group

City Centre Strategy

Night Time Economy

Strategy?

Operations

Planning Policies

Enforcement Policies

Policing Policies

Licensing Policies

Cleansing Policies

76. Members were provided with a SWOT analysis of Cardiffs Night time economy from MAKE Associates that identified the following management issues for Cardiffs night time economy:

Strengths Positive brand Capital / tourism Economically successful city Decent mix (music, theatre, pubs, clubs, bars) Rugby / events Friendly Some non-alcohol-led after dark, e.g. libraries open Cardiff Bay Robust policing TASC / A&E data

Weaknesses Night-time economy strategy? Vision for after dark? Leadership on the NTE? High community perceptions of crime (relative) Crime & disorder (still too high) Cleansing at night Clustering of premises Limited late night retailing Limited museums and galleries opening

ThreatsCompetition from other destinations Reversal of falls in crime and disorder Cuts in staff and resources Home Office plans for licensing Breach of cumulative impact policy Negative local / national media Pre-loading / supermarkets & pub / bar closures Home entertainment Less money to go out / Friday nights Residential tensions

Opportunities Understand low / non-users Demand for food and entertainment Later retailing More festivals, activity after dark, cultural provision Light Night Accreditation & marketing, e.g. Purple Flag, Best Bar Non Olympics Rugby World Cup 2015 Plan NTE better = save money Improve resident perceptions and pride

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Health and the night time economy77. Members were informed that alcohol has been identified as the third biggest risk to health in developed countries [Alcohol Concern, 2006] 10 and that alcohol consumption in the UK has increased over the past decade, as have deaths and diseases related to alcohol. In considering the information Members were advised that the night time economy contributed to a part of the health costs associated to alcohol with the off trade and home drinking also playing its part. The direct and indirect impacts and costs of excessive alcohol consumption include: Alcohol related violent crime Chronic conditions Mortality Various social impacts (including negative effects on family relations, children, educational attainment, employment prospects, and happiness) Lifetime impacts

78. Members were provided with information relating to Public Health Wales Observatory report A Profile of Alcohol and Health in Wales 11 . The report provided a detailed analysis of the position in respect of alcohol consumption and harm across Wales. In Wales, 45 per cent of adults consume more than the recommended limits and 27 per cent participate in binge drinking. Within Cardiff 49 per cent of adults consume more than the recommended limits. The table below highlights the key local data relating to Cardiff.

Wales Adults who drink above guidelines % Hospital admission rate due to alcohol (males) Hospital admission rate due to alcohol (females) Death rate from alcohol (males) Death rate from alcohol (females)Rate per 100,000

The Vale of Glamorgan 49 1904 1098 40 15

Cardiff 49 2024 1115 46 18

45 1940 1073 43 17

Cited @ http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/888/page/43761 Gartner A. (2009) A Profile of Alcohol and Health in Wales @ http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/Documents/ 568/Alcohol%20and%20Health%20in%11

10

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79. Other key statistics highlighted included: 88 per cent of adults in Wales say that they drink alcohol, and for many of us alcohol is a normal part of a healthy lifestyle. However, statistics show that 52 per cent of men and 38 per cent of women admit to drinking more than the recommended amount. 10

Alcohol accounts for 1,000 deaths in Wales per year 15 per cent of hospital admissions in Wales are due to alcoholic intoxication 30,000 hospital bed days are related to the consequence of alcohol consumption There were around 14,545 referrals for treatment of alcohol misuse in Wales in 2009-10, including 1,249 for patients aged 19 and younger.

80. Councillors were informed that glasses are being used as weapons in the city centre. Professor Shepherd noted that 120 glassing incidents are experienced at UHW each year (although approximately 90 percent of assault injuries treated at the hospital are the result of fists). In his view, late-opening establishments should only be permitted to use plastic glasses. The Street Pastors are currently cleaning up a lot of glass litter; Professor Shepherd believes that continuous street cleaning is needed throughout the evening to rectify this issue. 81. Professor Shepherd outlined that 3,000 people are treated each year for injuries derived from alcohol-related violence though this figure has decreased from 4,000. It was also noted that violence increased after midnight. He believes that the introduction of street entertainment could aid this by providing an entertainment focus for late-night revellers spilling out onto the street. Interventions such as the pedestrianisation of High Street/St Mary Street has aided this issue, as it has helped disperse the large crowds that used to gather on the pavements. 82. Members were informed by Alcohol Concern Cymru, that alcohol has played a significant role in Welsh culture throughout history. In recent years, the United Kingdom has seen a significant rise in the numbers of people drinking beyond the recommended amounts. This has been recognised as an issue for some time; in 1997, the then Secretary of State for Wales recommended reducing rates 47

of alcohol consumption, though by 2010 consumption had increased. The main issues from Alcohol Concerns perspective are: binge drinking in city centres, increased home drinking, pre-loading on alcohol at home before going out and, pubs were offering a discount on alcoholic drinks, and no discount on soft drink 83. The two last issues have been exacerbated by the increasingly low price of alcohol in supermarkets. 84. In terms of Cardiffs night time economy Alcohol Concern Cymru is of the opinion that Cardiffs saturation policy seems to work, and the Council and partners are getting things right through the use of the taxi marshals and street pastors. It was noted that Cardiff has been cited as an example of how to manage city centre drinking at Alcohol Concern events across the country. 85. Members were informed of some potential areas for improvement: Alcohol Concern has a kite mark scheme, known as the Licensing Policy Health Check Award (LPHCA), which accredits licensing authorities that incorporate both health and alcohol agendas. The award is obtained through examination against a set of indicators (for example, whether the Licensing Policy recognises the negative impact of alcohol on communities, the extent of consultation conducted, and any evaluation of policy) and a fee of 495 (plus VAT). The award will be in place for the Authority for the duration of the Licensing Policy, and will provide successful applicants with a logo that can be used on the policy. Successful applicants will be able to refer to the award in press releases and other promotional documentation. The public be provided with more information regarding units and the dangers of alcohol. 86. At a national level Alcohol Concern Cymru believes that there should be a minimum price of 50p per unit. Alcohol Concern Cymru would also like to see the 48

protection of public health within the Licensing Act, and would like to see licensing and pricing be devolved to the National Assembly as they believe that Westminster is unlikely to act sufficiently in this area.

Work of the Triage 87. Members were informed that one of the most successful health initiatives within the city centre was that of the Triage 12 , developed as a multi-agency model, working between the Ambulance Service Wales, the local authority and the police to reduce the pressure on the accident and emergency unit. 88. A paramedic and a technician are deployed in a small ambulance vehicle to the city centre during 8.00pm-4.00am on Friday and Saturday nights, supported by two patient transport vehicles. For large events or pressure evenings (Black Friday, for example), it is also possible that one or two more officers will also accompany the triage. Also, fullyqualified staff are on standby in case of an event where a patient has issues beyond the regular staffs expertise, and will travel with the patient to hospital. The triage used to base itself at the Philharmonic nightspot on St Mary Street, although now they have moved northwards to The Cottage Inn. 89. Councillors heard that on busy nights the triage can deal with around forty cases ranging from trips and falls to more serious traumatic injuries such as fractures, which can arise from serious offences such as assaults. However, on an ordinary Saturday night the service will deal with around ten to thirty cases. The triage service has a great deal of experience in working on the citys streets, and they are able to gauge the moods of the crowds. It was noted that staff never felt intimidated, and are generally made to feel welcome by revellers. However, triage staff, do sometimes face abuse, though this is general drunken behaviour/incidents and only occurs in a minority of incidences.

12

Or known as the Mobile Medical Response Unit (MMRU).

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90. Members were informed that the triage has good links with door staff and CCTV staff in the city centre, and the Street Pastors. In terms of working relationships it was stated that the triage staff have an excellent working relationship with everybody in the city centre. The triage team has a TETRA radio, which makes it easy to communicate with others, including the police. The Millennium Stadium has been very supportive of the triage and the staff are able to use their facilities and the Sandringham Hotel and McDonalds have also been very helpful. 91. Evaluative work carried out in 2007 13 established that:

Of 147 '999' calls answered by the (Mobile Medical Response Unit) MMRU in Cardiff city centre only 8 required an emergency ambulance, saving at least 139 needless call-outs.

When the MMRU (Mobile Medical Response Unit) operated without the Cardiff Medical Treatment Centre (CMTC) only 23 of 157 '999' responses required an emergency ambulance to be called into the city centre.

Of 159 people treated at the CMTC 107 (67%) did not require additional treatment at the local Accident and Emergency department, saving an estimated 360 hours of Accident and Emergency department time.

When the CMTC was open an estimated 20 hours of Accident and Emergency doctor time was saved each night. The Welsh Ambulance Service estimated a saving of 25,000, or 1,000 per night, as a result of the MMRU. When the MMRU was used, the Welsh Ambulance Service met its 8 minute '999' response target for 97.8 per cent of calls to Cardiff city centre. The established performance against this target across Wales for the Welsh Ambulance NHS Trust for 2005/6 was 57 per cent.

Hundreds of hours of police time are estimated to have been saved as officers spent less time with injured people. St. John Cymru-Wales personnel worked closely with the emergency services providing volunteers with valuable experience in challenging and dynamic environments.

92. The Task Group was informed that the triage does not receive external funding for its work. It was noted that the system required further evaluation, particularly13

@ http://wales.gov.uk/topics/housingandcommunity/safety/crimereduction/whatworks/cardifftriage?lang=en

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with regards to how it is funded, given the current conditions; these will be questions that will become more prevalent as 2011 unfolds. In the future, the triage may have to consider only sending out services on key nights, working with the police to gain intelligence on which nights are likely to be busy.

Estimating Health Costs 93. The economic costs of alcohol attempt to assess in monetary terms the damage that results from the misuse of alcohol. Members were informed that the estimation of the economic health costs of the night time economy in Cardiff city centre had not been conducted and it cannot be measured precisely. These costs include expenditures on alcohol-related problems and opportunities that are lost because of alcohol. While many difficulties in cost estimation are common to cost-of-illness studies in other health fields, two problems are particularly relevant to the case of alcohol abuse. First, researchers attempt to identify costs that are caused by, and not merely associated with, alcohol abuse, yet it is often hard to establish causation. Second, many costs resulting from alcohol abuse cannot be measured directly. This is especially true of costs that involve placing a pound value on lost productivity. Researchers use mathematical and statistical methods to estimate such costs, yet recognize that this is imprecise. 94. Nevertheless, estimates of the cost give us an idea of the dimensions of the problem, and the breakdown of costs suggests to us which categories are most costly.14

95. From a UK perspective the cost of alcohol abuse to the UK economy may be 20 billion a year. More specifically a report in 2007 estimated the cost of alcohol misuse in Wales at 1bn a year 14

15

The 1bn total is made up of:

Lost hours in the workplace, 320m Drink related crime and disorder, 365m

RICE, D.P. Estimating the Cost of Illness. Health Economics Series, No. 6. DHEW Pub. No. (PHS)947-6. Rockville, MD: U.S.

Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1966.15

Directors of Public Protection Wales, (2006) Addressing alcohol misuse issues.

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Healthcare costs, 85m Social costs of 1,100 premature deaths a year and dealing with family break-ups, 230m.

96. The report also estimated the cost of a person being punched by a drunk and needing hospital treatment is 20,950. More recently however, the Welsh Assembly Government commissioned a report into the cost of alcohol and obesity to the national health service in Wales which highlighted the following findings: The cost of excess alcohol to NHS in Wales amounted to between 69.9 million and 73.3 million in 2008/09, between 1.34 million and 1.41 million spent each week treating diseases caused by excess alcohol, and amounting to between 23.47 and 24.60 per person in Wales and between 1.27% and 1.33% of total healthcare expenditure. The impact of excess drinking on hospitalisations in Wales amounted to over 6.57 million or over 7.82 million depending on whether the prevalence of binge drinking or drinking to excess is used - in 2008/09, which represents around 0.5% total expenditure on in-patients. 24,426,334 for outpatient expenditure that can be attributed to alcohol, based on total attendances of 2,315,299 and a unit cost of 131. It is known that between 33% and 35% of all A+E attendances are attributable to alcohol. In Wales in 2009 there were 1,060,000 A+E attendances and the unit cost was 101. Therefore, alcohol related A+ E attendances accounted for expenditure of between 35,329,800 and 37,471,000 in 2008/09 in Wales. an estimate of 3,500,383 in Wales for alcohol related primary care consultations16

97. Whilst Cardiff related health costs were unavailable Professor Shepherd highlighted that that alcohol-related violence has decreased with an estimated saving of 6,000 a month, though Professor Shepherd noted that such cost savings do not necessarily manifest themselves into money on the table.

16 Welsh Assembly Government (2010) Assessing the costs to the NHS associated with alcohol and obesity in Wales @ http://wales.gov.uk/docs/caecd/research/alcoholmisuseandobesityreporten.doc

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Community Safety98. Cllr Woodman provided the task and finish group with a summary of the work within the night time economy related to Community Safety and the Safer Capital Partnership. The night time economy of Cardiff was thriving but had reputational issues relating to antisocial behaviour and negative media coverage such as the John Humphries documentary. Despite the high level of licensed capacity the levels of crime were among the lowest within the UK. There are many positive stories relating to the improvement of Cardiffs night time economy such as, partnership working with health, night time economy officer, taxi Marshalls, the traffic light system etc. 99. Public perceptions of safety and anti social behaviour were a major issue for respondents to the scrutiny survey that prevented many people from visiting the city centre more frequently as highlighted in the graph below. 41% of respondents highlighted that they felt unsafe or very unsafe at night. Members noted that the Ask Cardiff Survey also highlighted the importance of safety to members of the public.

What prevents you from visiting the city cetre more often at night?70.0 61.5 60.0 Percentage of responses 50.0 40.0 30.0 20.0 10.0 0.0 Binge drinking / Anti social behaviour Personal financial reasons Poor public transport out of the city centre Dont feel Not enough safe variety of restaurants / bars Parking issues Not enough Shops not Poor public transport things to do open late enough into the city centre Other No interest in visiting the city centre

35.7

32.5

31.3 25.9 19.8 17.7 15.5 10.1 10.0 5.8

100.

Comments on the safety concerns did not appear to be directed at the whole

of the city centre but rather the area of St Mary Street. This reflects the actual crime statistics within the city centre which show that St Mary Street has consistently had the most incidents of anti social behaviour over the past four years. 53

101.

The most important factors that the public suggested to improve the city

centre were actually tied with 44% of the votes. These were A greater variety of entertainment / things to do and an increased uniformed presence. These two factors reflect the majority of peoples priorities from the overall results, with the variety of entertainment and safety being peoples key concerns. 102. The tasking Manager for the Community Safety Team provided Members with

on overview of the initiatives undertaken both within the council and externally that had historically taken place to reduce crime and fear of crime within Cardiffs night time economy which are detailed below (not an exhaustive list): The joint police and Council run CCTV room, Members were provided with a tour of the facilities and the work provided an essential link between those responsible for the reduction of violent crime and disorder. The system has over 200 cameras monitoring both the city centre and the bay areas of Cardiff. Members viewed night-time economy incidences of crime within the city centre.

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The Cardiff After Dark Initiative which aimed to reduce violent crime, particularly alcohol related and increase public safety through the use of high visibility policing in the city centre.

Night Time Economy Coordinator a recently evaluated role (previously Home Office funded now funded by the Council) that manages the citys night time Ambassadors and liaises with key stake holder agencies and businesses for improvement. A primary role is to engage with council service areas for improvements to the city centre at night.

City Ambassadors who supervise the three taxi ranks on St Mary Street and Greyfriars Road. They also provide advice, assistance and reassurance to the public; support service providers such as taxi drivers, door supervisors and CCTV operations.

Temporary Road Closures allowing pedestrians to use the whole road, reducing congestion on the pavements and the likelihood of arguments/ conflicts arising.

Safe Child Scheme which aims to reunite lost children with their adult carer whilst in shopping areas. Radio Net is a system linking over 250 city centre retailers to the police and other services linked to the night time economy coordinator and ambassadors. The initiative includes training and development for users and is a multi agency project, operated by Cardiff Business Safe in conjunction with Cardiff City Retail Partnership and Safer Capital Partners.

Controlled Drinking Zones. These areas provide the police with the power to require a person in such areas not to drink alcohol and to surrender any alcohol or alcohol containers (other than sealed containers) in their possession. Central Station, the civic centre, Sophia Gardens and Bute Park have been the subject of this control.

Traffic Light System a partnership between Cardiff Council, Licensees Forum and South Wales Police Licensing Section which monitors licensing and crime and disorder activities within the city centre. The scheme utilises data from the police Crime incident Database and the Heath Hospital Accident and Emergency Unit data which proactively identifies pubs and clubs with issues at an early stage thus enabling interventions to rectify practice.

Thirst Class a licensed premises award scheme 55

Introduction of plastic glasses and bottles on major Event Days Additional bins for litter and bottles Enhanced Waste Management enforcement operations Blue tooth messaging technology Home office sponsored advertising panels relating to the dangers of excessive drinking

103.

Members were provided with information from Cardiff Street Pastors, which

was initiated in 2008, a voluntary sector approach to increasing feelings of safety within Cardiff at night. Cardiff Street Pastors currently have 40 trained volunteer Street pastors who operate every Friday and Saturday night 10 am until 4 am, 51 weeks per annum. The Pastors assist vulnerable often inebriated members of the public, dealing with basic injuries, women who have removed their footwear, transportation issues or who have become lost or separated from their friends. Street Pastors are independent and their presence and contact with people on the street assists in preventing and calming situations where there is a potential for crime and disorder. The initiative has proved positive with the police, council, retailers and the Licensees forum, however with the financial constraints affecting Community Safety funding the sustainability of funding for this organisation remains an issue. 104. The funding issues affecting the management of the night time economy were

discussed on several occasions by the task group. Cardiff Universitys evaluation of the night time economy officer role highlighted a theoretical model relating to the regulation in licit and illicit markets. It was pointed out that the greater the enforcement measures the larger the cost to the public purse highlighting the need to focus on developing a preventative/ self regulating approach which is more cost effective.

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Regulation in Licit & Illicit MarketsENFORCEMENT Prosecution Admin./civil penalties Disruption Caution ILLEGAL MARKETal Inform

Key value-added by NTEC Compliance noticeal Form

sing Licen g in & tax

LEGAL MARKET

Accommodation/collusion Regulatory capture Ownership/controlSource: Gill, 2000: 15; Edwards and Gill, 2002: 212

Self-regulation

NON-ENFORCEMENT

105.

In discussing funding options, witnesses on several occasions noted the Night

Time Levy (which is discussed in the licensing section of this report), the need to lobby for night time economy ring fencing of business rates and the need to develop a sense of ownership and responsibility of businesses operating at night. Business Improvement Districts were discussed as a potential for increasing private sector funding for improvements to the night time economy. A Business Improvement District (BID) is a precisely defined geographical area within which the businesses have voted to invest collectively in local improvements to enhance their trading environment. 106. BIDs do not affect the level or quality of service provided by the local authority

to the area. A BID is initiated, financed and led by the commercial sector, providing additional or improved services as identified and requested by local businesses, to the baseline services provided by the local authority in that area. BIDs were started in Toronto, Canada in the 1970s and there are now over 1000 BIDs in the US and Canada. Of established BIDs, fewer than 1% have not been renewed once the initial BID period came to an end. In the UK, Legislation for UK BIDs received Royal Assent in September 2003. Several areas across the UK have adopted BIDs areas such include Reading, Liverpool, New West End Company, Paddington, Plymouth and Swansea have implemented this practice.

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Strategic Planning107. Members were provided with the policy context for Strategic Planning and it

was noted that planning permission is required by virtue of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) (TCPA). The Town and Country Planning (UseT

Classes) Order 1987 (as amended) (UCO) sets out classes of uses that are similar in land-use planning terms. 108. Planning Policy Wales (PPW) (2002) contains sections on how the policy

should be treated by Local Planning Authorities in their Unitary Development Plans (UDPs) and for Development Control purposes. PPW being broad in its scope does not include any explicit advice with respect to the night-time economy in town and city centres. It does however make reference to the intention of making towns and cities safer in both the day and night. It states, Although retailing should continue to underpin town, district, local and village centres it is only one of the factors which contribute towards their well-being. Policies should encourage a diversity of uses in centres. Mixed use developments, for example, combining retailing with entertainment, restaurants and housing should be encouraged to promote lively centres as well as reducing the need to travel to visit a range of facilities. Leisure uses can benefit town and district centres and, with adequate attention to safeguarding amenities, can contribute to a successful evening economy. 17 109. It was noted that planning guidance in England allows for the following used

class orders A3 Restaurants and Cafs A4 Drinking establishments and