Restrictions on the number of licenses to be issued to sell alcohol in an area of central Swindon will remain in place.

Swindon Borough Council’s special committee agreed last week to renew the cumulative impact policy for premises selling alcohol on or off-site for the Broadgreen area on the town centres on Manchester Road.

It was a legal necessity to review the policy, and members of the committee voted to renew it after being told by members of Wiltshire Police it had cut the number of incidents of alcohol-related disorder compared to times without such a policy.

Chairman of the committee, and council leader Councillor Jim Robbins said: “We set up the special committee for this purely as an administrative measure, we needed to make the decision before the end of the month.

The report to members said: “The effect of the cumulative impact assessment is that the council will refuse applications for a new premises licence or club premises certificate or a material variation of an existing licence or certificate within the defined zone whenever it receives relevant and material representations.

“Any departure from this decision can only be made if the applicant can demonstrate why the grant or variation involved will not add to the cumulative impact experienced.”

Hotels and restaurants where selling drink is not the prime purpose will not be affected by the policy.

The report added: “The CIA has been invaluable in dealing with new and changing licensing applications in the Broadgreen area. Previously there had been a saturation of off licences in this area with increased complaints of crime and disorder.

“Since the introduction of the CIA, the number of new and existing premises has fallen.”

But the police said there were still significant issues in the area: “A review of all incidents within this specific area over the last 12 months indicate that the problems within this area clearly continue, notably alcohol-related issues.

“They include anti-social behaviour, street drinking, violence including assaults and weapons, underage and counterfeit sales, gangs, drug dealing and taking and street workers.”

Three off-licences have had their licenses revoked since the policy was put in place in 2016. Now there are eight in the Broadgreen area, with five in Manchester Road alone, which is about 600 metres in length.

There are also three on-licensed premises including one pub.