Statement of Licensing Policy - Licensing Act 2003 - 7 January 2026 to 6 January 2031

Gateshead is located on the southern bank of the River Tyne, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne to the north, and bordering County Durham to the south, Northumberland to the west and South Tyneside and Sunderland to the east. It is a constantly changing borough combining modern facilities with a fascinating heritage. The borough stands almost 13 miles along the south bank of the River Tyne and covers 55 square miles, making it the largest of the five Tyne and Wear authorities.

4.2 Gateshead is a borough of contrasts. It has a large urban hub centred around the main town centre area in Bridges ward and has a number of smaller urban centres and busy employment areas such as Blaydon, Whickham, Felling and Birtley. However, around two-thirds of the borough is rural, with numerous small settlements such as Kibblesworth, Sunniside, Chopwell and High Spen.

4.3 Built on traditional industries of mining and heavy engineering, the 1930s saw diversification through the development of the Team Valley Trading Estate (TVTE), the first trading estate of its type in the UK. Centrally located for the region, the TVTE has become prominent for transport and distribution activities and is the borough's most prestigious employment centre, attracting the highest number of inward commuters to the borough on a daily basis.

4.4 The 1970s saw the decline of many of the region's traditional industries. A high proportion of those who lived in Gateshead worked in these industries, resulting in unemployment and high levels of deprivation and financial/social exclusion, the impact of which is still being felt today. In the 1980s Gateshead saw the development of the MetroCentre, now boasting over two million sq ft of retail and leisure floor space, one of the UK's and Europe's largest shopping centres.

4.5 The urban core, shared with Newcastle, is the focus of regeneration, promoting growth through the digital economy, knowledge-based businesses and cultural-led regeneration. Major initiatives such as the Sage Gateshead, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead College and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge have all been developed over recent years and further regeneration is ongoing.

4.6 Information about Gateshead can be found in the Joint Strategic Needs Risk Assessment.

Crime and antisocial behaviour in Gateshead

4.7 Crime and ASB data relating to Gateshead can be found at Police.uk.

Public health in Gateshead

4.8 In 2012 the Police and Social Responsibility Act 2011 introduced public health as a responsible authority under the Licensing Act 2003.

4.9 Public health is "the science and art of promoting and protecting health and wellbeing, preventing ill-health and prolonging life through the organised efforts of society." The Public Health Outcomes Framework acknowledges that health is influenced not only by lifestyle choices but also by a range of wider determinants, including the physical environment, domestic abuse, violent crime and noise nuisance.

4.10 Gateshead Council recognises the impact upon population-level health that alcohol consumption can cause. While the protection of public health is not a discrete licensing objective, it can, where appropriate, permeate each of the licensing objectives.

4.11 Each year Gateshead's Director of Public Health publishes an annual report, the most recent at the time of writing being published in 2024: Ripples of Despair - Focus on lives lost to alcohol, drugs, and suicide. Foreword - Alice Wiseman, Gateshead Director of Public Health - Gateshead Council. Previous annual reports are also relevant.

Local licensing guidance

4.12 Different localities within the borough have different characters and challenges, both of which can change over time depending on a range of factors. To assist applicants and licensees in their understanding of local issues that they should be cognisant of, from time to time the council publishes and updates 'Local Licensing Guidance' documents on its website. An interactive mapping tool is available.

4.13 The Local Licensing Guidance provides information about the causes of serious and chronic concern in these localities. The areas covered by the guidance can vary depending on the nature of the problems that are identified, so may relate to the whole of a particular ward or for instance to street level. The guidance can include a wide range of information that is considered to be relevant to those who seek to carry on licensable activities within the area, for instance:

• the physical environment (including transport, school walking routes, blocks of flats, commercial or residential proximity, and so on)
• existing licensed premises
• health data (such as hospital admissions for under 18s, ambulance calls for alcohol-related reasons)
• crime and disorder hotspots
• known areas of congregation
• local initiatives (such as PubWatch, OffWatch, community alcohol partnerships and so on)
• local concerns about the promotion of the licensing objectives (including from ward members, community leaders, GPs, schools, and so on)

4.14 The Local Licensing Guidance will be produced by the council's Public Health team with the input of Responsible Authorities and other stakeholders as appropriate. Additional information which may support applicants to understand local issues relating to alcohol may include:

• Headline data - Gateshead JSNA
• DHSC Local Alcohol Profile
• Institute of Alcohol Studies - Cost of Alcohol Harm
• Balance - Alcohol Cost Profiles
• Gov.uk - Local Alcohol Profiles for England
• NHS Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Survey

4.15 It is recommended that applicants and licensees have regard to these documents and Joint Strategic Needs Risk Assessment and Crime and ASB data relating to Gateshead at Police.uk when considering their operating schedule. In particular, where the Local Licensing Guidance identifies measures that it is believed will help to promote the licensing objectives in respect of certain licensable activities due to the issues that have been identified, if an applicant or licensee chooses not to adopt those measures, this may result in representations being made.