New pubs and clubs will only be granted a liquor licence in special circumstances as part of tough new restrictions to combat alcohol-fuelled disorder.

Brighton and Hove City Council is to crack down on the opening of new pubs and clubs and put an end to extended licensing hours across the city - unless venues can prove they will not add to already high levels of crime.

The move comes after police complained that the concentration of watering holes in central Brighton was putting increasing pressure on resources.

The new curbs will be imposed on a zone spanning Preston Street, Brighton, to Upper Rock Gardens, extending south to the beach and north to the north side of Western Road, Church Street and Edward Street.

While new pubs, clubs, restaurants and off-licences will be able to open in some cases, the council's licensing committee will adopt a presumption for refusal.

The cumulative impact zone will allow councillors to take into account the effect of other watering holes when considering an application for a new licence.

Sussex Police had initially called on the council to introduce one of the biggest zones in the country, which included part of the Brunswick area of Hove and North Laine.

But the council's legal advice suggested it would be open to challenge from the pub trade because there was no concrete link between drinking venues and crime on these patches.

Instead these areas will be included in two new "special stress areas" where venues will be subject to guidelines and crime levels carefully monitored.

If the idea gets the go-ahead at the city's licensing committee on Thursday, the council will be the first in the country to introduce this policy.

The tough new regime will almost certainly be backed as it has received crossparty support previously.

Dee Simson, chairman of the council's licensing committee, said: "We want to balance the interests of all concerned including residents, licensees and the police."

The licensing committee takes place at Hove Town Hall on February 14, at 3pm.

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