Plans for one of Britain's most widespread bans on new pubs and clubs have been delayed after it emerged the consultation was flawed.

Lawyers have warned that without more discussion on the proposals Brighton and Hove City Council could be dragged through the courts.

The cumulative impact zone will limit the number of new licensed premises.

New venues will have to prove they will not add to the cumulative impact of drinking establishments in central Brighton and Hove, which police believe is saturated with late night venues.

Sussex Police, which is behind the move, has said it is aimed at bar owners who pack people in without sufficient seating and serve cheap booze.

The ban was first revealed in The Argus last year but has been expanded by police both eastwards and westwards.

The final proposal spans Holland Road, Hove, to Upper Rock Gardens, Kemp Town, Brighton, with Western Road and Edward Street as the northern-most point through most of the zone.

An upper section bounded roughly by Queen Street, Trafalgar Street and Grand Parade, taking in Brighton station and North Laine, has also been included.

But the British Beer and Pub Association has raised concerns over the consultation process and the size of the area.

Councillor Dee Simson is chairwoman of the council's licensing committee which has decided to put the plans back out to consultation.

She said: "The question of whether we create a cumulative impact policy for Brighton and Hove is a big decision and it is important we get it right.

"That's why the committee has agreed to allow more time to work on this issue and consider the views of all sides." Rachel Fryer, a Green councillor on the committee, said: "The police are doing a tremendous job of keeping the lid on problems in the city centre.

"We don't need more research. Compelling evidence makes the case for a cumulative impact zone to help the police and protect local residents, many of whom suffer sleepless nights because of the noise disturbance from pubs and clubs.

A revised licensing policy, without a cumulative impact policy, will be presented to the policy and resources committee on Thursday. A report dealing with the proposed new limits will be brought back to a later licensing committee meeting.

The zones are already in force in Eastbourne and Worthing, while Hastings councillors have approved measures to come into force in January In Eastbourne restricted areas include Bolton Road, Susans Road, Seaside Road, Pevensey Road, Grand Parade and Terminus Road.

Kareena Plympton, licensing manager at Eastbourne Borough Council, said: "There have been a few applications refused, and one or two permitted. It's about getting the balance right."

The first stretches in Hastings are between Claremont and Harold Place and between Robertson Street and Priory Street.

The second area covers George Street and High Street and the third King's Road, Western Road and parts of London Road and Norman Road in St Leonards.

Head of environmental health Mike Hepworth said: "People were supportive of it, including people in the trade, to the extent that they wanted it to be more widespread."

All of Worthing town centre's Central council ward has been covered by a cumulative impact zone since November 2005.

Simon Jones, Worthing Borough Council licensing inspector, said the town centre had seen a fall in violent crime since the policy was introduced.

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