London Fields alcohol ban proposed to tackle antisocial behaviour

Residents are invited to have their say, via a consultation, on plans to tackle antisocial drinking in public places across Hackney.

The plans include a three-year Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for London Fields, alongside the reintroduction of existing controls to prevent antisocial street drinking borough-wide.

Community safety chief Cllr Susan Fajana-Thomas urged residents to share their thoughts, adding: “We want to ensure our parks and public spaces are places everyone can enjoy."

An unlicensed music event in London Fields last year. (Image: Hackney council)

The Public Space Protection Order would mean police or council enforcement officers could request people to stop drinking alcohol if they are causing antisocial behaviour and hand out fines for those refusing to do so.

The council says existing PSPO powers introduced 10 years ago have seen complaints from street drinking decline by 94 per cent, from a historic high of 609 in 2010 to 38 in 2019.

Proposals feature a ban on drinking alcohol in London Fields park, following long-standing issues with public urination, noise and antisocial behaviour in the area.

Litter piled up in London Fields park in 2020. (Image: Hackney council)

The news follows a consultation with local residents held in autumn last year, where 68 pc of respondents voiced concerns about antisocial behaviour in London Fields, particularly urination, drunkenness, littering, noise and drug taking.

Last summer, the council issued hundreds of fines for antisocial behaviour and sought a temporary injunction to ban alcohol in the park.

The injunction was issued on July 4, 2020.

The proposals could see drinking banned in London Fields for three years, to ensure the park and area is a safe place for all park-goers. (Image: Hackney council)

Managing antisocial behaviour at London Fields costs the council more than £300k per year.

Actions already implemented to tackle the issue include recruiting additional enforcement officers and security staff, installing large commercial waste bins at the park, opening toilets with additional cleaning, additional summer waste collections and issuing nearly 200 fines for urinating and littering in May and June last year.

Hackney's parks chief Cllr Caroline Woodley added: “We’re acting in response to local people’s concerns and seeking to prevent the kind of behaviour that has blighted the park for a number of years and ensure London Fields remains a place for everyone."

Rubbish left in the park in 2020. (Image: Hackney council)

Residents can have their say on proposals at consultation.hackney.gov.uk