Cumulative Impact Policy 2026

Overview

This consultation relates to a policy that is used to minimise the impact that large numbers of licensed premises (such as pubs, bars and nightclubs) have on local residents.  This policy is known as a "Cumulative Impact Policy".  

The Council first introduced a Cumulative Impact Policy in 2020.  When developing this Policy, Council officers carried out research to identify whether there were any areas of Rotherham where the number and type of licensed premises was having a negative impact on local residents.  The research showed that the number and type of licensed premises within Wickersley was having a negative impact on local residents and so the Council introduced a "Cumulative Impact Zone" (or CIZ) that covered a large part of Wickersley.

The Policy did not create a ban on the grant of licences within the CIZ, but it did place an obligation on applicants for licences for premises within the zone to demonstrate that the application is suitable for the area. This meant that the applicant had to provide suitable evidence that their proposal would not add to any issues already being caused by licensed premises within the area.

The policy should be reviewed every three years, this was last done in 2023 and the decision was made to keep the CIZ in place.  As three years has passed since the last review, the Council must undertake a further review this year.  This consultation is an important part of that review.

The consultation will focus on two main elements: 

1. A review of the effectiveness of the current cumulative impact zone, which is active in an area of Wickersley. 
2. An analysis of any other parts of the borough that may benefit from a cumulative impact zone being implemented. 

The outcome of the consultation, and a review of other evidence and data, will determine whether any amendments should be made to the current policy, which will then be considered for adoption by the Council.

The current policy can be viewed here: Rotherham MBC Cumulative Impact Policy 2023

Why your views matter

It is important that we obtain the views of local residents and business with regard to the impact that the current CIZ is having on them, and whether there are any other areas of Rotherham that would benefit from a CIZ.

This is an opportunity to provide information to the Council that will be used to develop a policy that could make people's lives better whilst still allowing local businesses to thrive.

This survey is quite brief, but any answers that you provide will be extremely helpful to us when developing our policies.

By taking part in this survey, you agree with the following statement:  

I understand that I am under no obligation to complete this consultation and I am willingly providing this data to be used for this specific survey.  I consent to Rotherham Council using my information for this purpose.  I also understand the results will be published in an anonymised way and I will not be identifiable.