ROUND the clock drinking will not sweep South Lakeland, believes South Lakeland District Council licensing chief Steve Wearing.

But he accepts that pubs and clubs may want apply for 24-hour licences to give them flexibility and freedom to open for as long as they want without having to constantly apply to vary their opening times. Such is the complexity of the Licensing Act 2003 that it is difficult to predict its impact on a largely rural area with 800 licensed premises 12 of which already open until the early hours of the morning.

From next Monday (Feb 7) co-ordinating the dispensing or revocation of licences will pass from magistrates' courts and into the hands of South Lakeland District Council for a nine month "transitional" period before the law comes into full force in around November.

By then pub owners will have to apply for a new premises licence while, if different, premises supervisors will have to apply for a personal licence.

With the responsibility comes the challenge of implementing a new way in which licences are awarded to any premises selling alcohol, whether it is a street corner off licence, a social club, hotel or late-night club.

And a growing challenge for Mr Wearing is helping licensees and the public understand the repercussions of the new law amid months of heated debate and speculation about 24-hour drinking in the national media.

"A lot of people are confused about these transitional arrangements and there is some scepticism in the trade about it, yet the changes will affect everybody in one way or another," he said.

"For example I get the feeling some people think pubs will automatically be open for 24 hours when this law comes in, but that's simply not the case.

"I don't think we will ever see 24-hour opening in South Lakeland because of a lack of customers and a lack of bar staff willing to work all hours, but what I think we will see is pubs applying for an extra hour or two at the end of the night."

Mr Wearing has been keen to both reassure licensees and the public that the law is there to protect them both.

"The licensed trade has to recognise that this is not a free for all and the public has to recognise that pubs and clubs are businesses with a right to trade, so it's a balancing act really," he said.

"The onus is definitely on the licensees however they have to prove their social responsibility if they want to extend their hours."

He added that this social responsibility would be demonstrated by meeting the four key criteria when considering a license: l The prevention of crime and disorder; l Public safety; l The prevention of public nuisance; l The protection of children from harm.

The criteria may be met in a number of ways, such as the introduction of CCTV, a drugs policy or extra door staff.

In a pioneering court hearing last year, Buffers nightclub in Ulverston was ordered to put on staff to escort drinkers away from the premises and out of residential areas following angry complaints about late-night noise and disorder. Such conditions could be commonplace under the new system, said Mr Wearing.

And the new law will also give residents a stronger voice in a licence application.

Although under the new system licences will be granted for an indefinite period instead of the current six and 12 month licence system they can be called back for review at any time if complaints from residents have reached a certain level or on request of the police if, for example, there have been a number of violent incidents at the premises.

Mr Wearing was keen to stress that the work of the licensing team would be to avoid contentious applications by ensuring that problematic issues were resolved in advance.

Any contentious applications would create more work for SLDC licensing staff which had already been doubled to take on the workload and could grow even more and the licensing committee and sub committees consisting of SLDC councillors who would have to consider them.

Mr Wearing warned that the more contentious the application the more it defeated a major reason for the new law to cut down on bureaucracy.

"We don't want back of a fag packet type applications being sent backwards and forwards like a ping pong because that would clog up the system," he warned.

"The application itself would spell the seriousness of the applicant's bid.

"Licences will be considered on their own merits so a good application should go through.

"If licensees are not happy with the decision then they can appeal to a court."

Mr Wearing added that SLDC was now bracing itself for the "big bang" effect in November when the Licensing Act 2003 became the law, ending what promises to be an eventful transitional period.

During the period from now until November, licensees will be able to apply for a new extended licence.

"Until then we will not be able to gauge the impact," said Mr Wearing.

"We may have 50 applications, 30 of which are contentious, which will mean a lot of work and mediation to resolve the matters.

"What we have to do is remain neutral and consider all the representations because we cannot canvas or influence objections.

"We are piggy in the middle."

For more information on the Licensing Act 2003 and how it will effect you visit www.southlakeland.gov.uk.