Don’t let council killjoys ruin London’s vital nightlife

I might be a boring, past-it crock, who startles herself if she moves position on the sofa too fast, but even I know that a truly great city, such as London, never sleeps. Or, to be more specific, vibrant cities have areas where a bustling nightlife is guaranteed for those who want it.

If I still know this, and support this, even as I sit, covered in cobwebs, old leaves and deep existential despair on my sofa, then why doesn’t Hackney council?

The east London authority, which covers areas such as uber-trendy Shoreditch, has just voted on extending special policy area (SPA) laws, which require new venues to prove they won’t add to the “cumulative negative impact” of other licensed businesses and can impose strict curfews. And by strict, it means midnight at weekends.

Is this a joke? When I was cavorting about in my youthful glad-rags, I often didn’t make it out of the house until midnight. Some might say: what about the right to peace and quiet? However, locals are overwhelmingly against the restrictions. (One survey suggested 84% against proposed curfews.) Which makes sense. Some new licensed businesses will thrive, some will fail, but what chance for any of them under such restrictive conditions? And then, what happens to the area?

Rod Stewart long ago quipped something along the lines of: “I went to New Zealand once – it was closed.” (Relax, he was only joking.) However, there’s a serious point here – if a city gets a reputation for a dead nightlife, then that city dies. While London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, once declared “London is open”, this won’t last if key councils don’t celebrate, support and protect the city’s vital night-time economy.

• Barbara Ellen is an Observer columnist