Central London: Pubs and clubs prevail

A committee of MPs is to call for pubs to be phased out of city centres in a bid to combat binge-drinking and anti-social behaviour.

In a hard-hitting report to be published on Tuesday the home affairs committee will say that pubs should be "designed out" of city centres.

Instead planners should allow more restaurants and other leisure facilities in order to secure a bigger age spread in the city centre night economy.

Older access

Older people should be able to enjoy a night out in city centres - which have become the scenes of drink related violence and yob behaviour.

As part of a 10-year strategy the committee will say that warehouse style pubs should be replaced with restaurants.

The committee will, however, back moves to relax the licensing laws but will issue a warning to ministers.

It will say that big pub companies have been allowed to swamp city centres and will warn that a shift in planning policy will be necessary to prevent the relaxed licensing laws resulting in greater drink related disorder.