Midnight Curfew - What Does That Mean For The Shoreditch Of The Future?

Harry Rosehill
By Harry Rosehill Last edited 68 months ago
Midnight Curfew - What Does That Mean For The Shoreditch Of The Future?
Hoxton Square with nobody there. Photo: DC_Morgan

It's 1am. A plastic bag flits through the air, zig-zagging its way across Shoreditch High Street. There's no one there to pick it up. There's no one here.

The year is 2033. Shoreditch is not the Shoreditch of old. Not the place people raved about — literally and metaphorically. All is quiet now, because of the curfew. On weeknights all bars and clubs must close by 11pm. On weekends, because we've behaved so well, we get an extra hour of grace. We have until midnight.

Well that isn't quite true. Any venues that pre-date the curfew — announced way back in 2018 — can stay open as late as their original licence allows. However, these venues are few far between. The lifespan of a bar isn't long. Especially when the punters don't tend to come around here anymore, what with the dwindling number of options. They've all buggered off to Peckham and Tottenham.

Now, there are even rumours that a double London institution — two duelling 24 hours beigel shops — might have to cut back their hours. Fewer tipsy characters wander in these days, to order early morning sandwiches, brimming with salt beef.

Photo: Alan Denney

There are some exemptions; new bars that could stay open past curfew. However, this is down to the whim of the council, and such golden tickets are harder to come by than Willy Wonka's. And they're expensive. The big corporations bought out most of the available licences. Like famished vampires, they sucked the life out of them while they still could.

Stuff like this wasn't meant to happen in London. It was supposed to be a 24 hour city. There was even someone standing up for us creatures of the night. But in the end, there was little our Night Czar could do.

In a consultation, 73% of Hackney locals were against the plans, but their voices weren't heard. They faded away into the ever darkening night.

Hackney council passed this licensing policy unanimously, claiming it would not impact the borough's nightlife. Try telling that to people now. You can't — they've all gone.

Last Updated 19 July 2018