Westminster City Council have published a new Direction of Travel document, which summarises the key opportunities and challenges the borough faces and sets out a number of aspirations for future development of the licensing and planning environment in Westminster.
The Council has unveiled plans to overhaul how licensing and planning systems work in the city with the aim of making it simpler, more transparent, and better aligned for residents, visitors and businesses.
In a move that reflects feedback from the local community, the Council has published two “Direction of Travel” documents outlining how it will reshape both the City Plan and the Statement of Licensing Policy together. This dual update aims to join up two of the Council’s most powerful regulatory tools, reducing duplication and confusion, speeding up decisions, and strengthening clarity on how local places will evolve.
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children and Public Protection, Cllr Aicha Less, added that harmonising planning and licensing would also help in designing safer streets and venues, giving clearer expectations for businesses.
What’s Changing
The key themes emerging from the Direction of Travel documents include:
- Support for Creative, Mixed-Use Spaces
The Council wants planning and licensing to reflect how people now live, work, and socialise, including hybrid cultural and creative spaces that don’t fit traditional categories.
- Future of the West End and After-Dark Economy
Recognising the West End’s global status, the documents seek to embed Westminster’s After Dark strategy, including a long-term vision for the night-time economy into both planning and licensing policy. This aims to balance vibrancy with quality of life for residents.
- Safer by Design
There is a sharpened focus on safety, with planning requirements and licensing expectations working together to reduce public nuisance and tackle violence, including ensuring operators are prepared for new security standards under Martyn’s Law.
- Noise, Waste, and Public Safety Controls
By aligning systems, the Council intends to create clearer criteria for managing noise and waste from venues, as well as supporting safer and more sustainable neighbourhoods.
Next Steps
Over the coming year, the Council will build a detailed evidence base and draft updated policies for both planning and licensing. Further public engagement with residents, businesses, and other stakeholders is planned ahead of formal consultations on each policy.
See both documents on this link.
For further information, please feel free to contact Alex Tomlinson or any of our licensing solicitors on 0115 953 8500.
