Calling all Town Centre Residents

The ongoing problems of noise, vandalism and general disruption in the early hours in Epsom town centre is the focus of a meeting to be held on 20th May.

Town centre residents and representatives of blocks of flats are welcome to be involved in discussions with the borough council's Legal Department and Licensing Officers. Space is limited and if you just turn up you may not be able to attend, so please contact Cllr Alison Kelly, your Town ward councillor, if you would like to be involved. The meeting will be held at the Town Hall at 10.00am on Thursday 20th May.

Whilst much noise, disturbance and anti-social behaviour results from the users of night clubs which are open until the small hours, regulating their hours of operation through licensing laws is a complex business. The meeting will discuss the problem of incidents not directly related to any one premises and the general licensing policy that is due to be reviewed, NOT specific incidents or premises.

Cllr Kelly said "The noise from clubs which close at 3.00am takes about three-quarters of an hour to cease. Once those people have left the premises, any problems they create are not attributable to that club. That's the problem. The Police, the club itself, licensing laws, environmental health and street cleaning services are all involved here. We need to find a way forward which preserves the quality of life for town centre residents. The current situation in the town centre is just not acceptable."