{"id":616027,"date":"2026-06-01T23:03:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T23:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/616027\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T23:03:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T23:03:08","slug":"sadiq-khan-vows-to-overrule-residents-groups-objections-to-soho-bars-and-restaurants-sadiq-khan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/616027\/","title":{"rendered":"Sadiq Khan vows to overrule residents\u2019 group\u2019s objections to Soho bars and restaurants | Sadiq Khan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, has suggested he will overrule a residents\u2019 society that has vowed to challenge all new applications for pubs and restaurants in Soho.<\/p>\n

The Guardian revealed last week<\/a> that the Soho Society, a residents\u2019 group established in 1972 aimed at \u201cpreserving the character of Soho\u201d, voted for a new licensing mandate, meaning it will challenge all new applications for bars and restaurants in the area, including renewals of existing licences.<\/p>\n

It will also object to any venue that wishes to open beyond \u201ccore hours\u201d, which Westminster council decrees end at 11pm. Many have complained that it is very difficult to get a drink or a meal in central London<\/a> after 11pm due to the \u201ccore hours\u201d policy.<\/p>\n

Khan said this is \u201cbad for London\u201d and that new powers granted to him by government, coming into force later this year, will allow him to \u201cextend London\u2019s late-night offer\u201d.<\/p>\n

These powers will allow him to overturn decisions made by local councils to block pubs and bars from opening.<\/p>\n

The mayor will be able to \u201ccall in\u201d licensing applications in areas deemed to be of strategic importance to the night-time economy.<\/p>\n

The move could mean bars opening later and more alfresco dining. During the pandemic, Soho was pedestrianised and restaurants were allowed to serve people outdoors. However, after vehement campaigning from the Soho Society and other residents, this scheme was wound down and there is very little alfresco dining in the area in summer.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThe Soho Society\u2019s decision to oppose all new and extended licence applications is the wrong one \u2013 it\u2019s bad for London.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce in force, new licensing powers I\u2019ve been granted by government, coupled with our bold new proposals to support London\u2019s hospitality and nightlife, will help us protect venues, extend London\u2019s late-night offer and allow the capital\u2019s nightlife to flourish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Restaurant and bar owners said the Soho Society\u2019s plans could \u201cdestroy Soho\u2019s reputation on the international stage\u201d as London\u2019s entertainment district.<\/p>\n

Reports have found that London nightlife has struggled in recent years, with footfall going down and venues closing.<\/p>\n

The society claims the area in central London has seen an intensification of nightlife and unacceptable noise, as well as crime and litter caused by a proliferation of late-night revellers.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the Soho Society said: \u201cThe society is a volunteer-run amenity society that comments on planning and licensing decisions locally, like in any other town across the country. It ensures that those comments are based on a broad reflection of views held by people in the community by having monthly meetings at which applications are reviewed for compliance with council policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur objections are often based on the data and experience that the intensification of the night-time economy in Soho has not been matched by an equivalent increase in infrastructure needed to safely accommodate such growth.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, has suggested he will overrule a residents\u2019 society that has vowed to challenge…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":616028,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-616027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616027"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616027\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/616028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}