CLIENT: London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

PROJECT: Shepherd’s Bush Night Time & Licensing Study

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What were MAKE asked to do?

Shepherds Bush in West London is home to the Shepherds Bush Empire, one of London’s legendary music venues, the BBC and the Westfield retail complex. However, councillors and residents had become increasingly concerned about problems of alcohol-related criminal damage, littering and noise linked to customers of licensed venues in their area. There was also a perceived problem of public drinking, despite it being a designated area where police can remove alcohol from anybody they think might cause problems. 

The local council, the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, asked MAKE to evidence unreported crime and disorder in the area to help plan and manage the area’s future, to identify problem premises and to help with the decision or not to introduce a Cumulative Impact Policy (CIP). A CIP can help councils better resist the opening of new pubs, bars, clubs and, of particular relevance to this area, off-licences and take-aways.

How did MAKE do it?

  • MAKE developed an observational research programme that ran from 8pm to 3am on the busiest days of the week and over two months.

  • MAKE carried out the observation using one trained individual so that, should the council decide to introduce a CIP, and appeals from operators who were seeking to open premises or extend their licences, then this specific researcher would be able to give a full account of the incidents witnessed as part of the study.

  • MAKE also provided substantial photographic and video evidence of the impacts of the licensed economy and its users on the public realm and residents’ quality of life.

What happened next?

The council was able to use the evidence from MAKE to cross-reference against that already received by the police and from the bar operators. The MAKE evidence clearly showed the premises was much more problematic than even the police considered it to be, and its licence was brought back from 3am to 1am and many other conditions imposed. So solid was the evidence, the decision was not appealed by the bar owners, which is unusual in itself and saved the council considerable further legal fees.

What unique value did MAKE bring to this project?

This was the first time systematic video evidence has been gathered to provide insight into behaviour within a night-time economy and to inform a decision whether or not to introduce a cumulative impact policy.