St Andrews has to be treated as a special case as part of a new Fife-wide assessment into whether or not the number of licensed premises have reached saturation point, it has been claimed.
Conservative councillor Dominic Nolan has reacted with concern to news that Fife Licensing Board is to consider over provision of licensed premises in the historic coastal town.
The board agreed upon a list of areas in need of further scrutiny last week after a recent report highlighted clear evidence of a link between high levels of provision and high levels of alcohol-related harm and inequality.
Areas within Kirkcaldy, Levenmouth, Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly and Lumphinnans will all be looked at, with officials seeking to detail the number and capacity of licensed premises before judging if the granting of new off-sales licences should be restricted in some way.
But Councillor Nolan has questioned the board’s decision to include parts of St Andrews in the same bracket – given the town’s tourist trade and unique university make-up.
He said: “It’s right to consider the number of licensed premises in our town but we must remember that St Andrews is unique in that it is a world class tourist destination, a world class sporting venue and has a world class university.
“I don’t think there is any other town in the world that can claim all three of those qualities.
“It means that the population of the town varies wildly and can shoot up when there is a major golf tournament.
“Rather than imposing a blanket limit on the number of licensed premises I think the way forward is to look at achieving Purple Flag status for St Andrews, similar to what has been done in Dunfermline.
“This would show the world that we can have an excellent and safe evening and night time economy suitable for our reputation on tourism, sport and education.
“Most importantly though, townsfolk, students and tourists can be assured of enjoying a drink safely and without causing a public nuisance.”
Mr Nolan said he will be consulting the town’s community council and BID St Andrews for their views on the issue.
A ban or restriction on new off-sales licences could be considered following research from the Fife Alcohol and Drug Partnership which revealed alcohol costs the region an estimated £130 million a year.
Around 71,000 adults across the kingdom are regularly drinking more than recommended limits every week, while there were 2,344 alcohol related hospital admissions and 666 alcohol-related A&E attendances – 10% of which involved children aged 15 or under – recorded in 2016/17.
