Opening a new pub or bar in Brighton will become virtually impossible if proposals to cap the number of licensed premises are approved this Thursday (14 February).

Brighton & Hove City Council’s licensing committee will meet later this week to consider the creation of a Cumulative Impact Area (CIA) in the city centre.

This would mean new licences would not be granted unless there were special circumstances for doing so.

Neighbouring the city centre CIA would be two Special Stress Areas (SSA), where the council will look to impose “robust measures” to tackle public disorder to protect residents.

If the idea gets the go-ahead the South coast resort would become the first city in the UK to introduce an SSA.

Councillor Dee Simson, chairman of Brighton and Hove Council’s licensing committee, said that careful consideration had been given all sides in the proposals.

“A CIA will give us greater powers to control the number of licensed premises in the city centre and the proposed SSA’s are a way of highlighting neighbouring areas which we will be keeping under close review.

“We will be paying particular attention to reducing disorder and nuisance in these areas and, if necessary, we can look at extending the CIA to cover these areas,” she added.

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By Christopher Walton

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