A rare good decision from Liverpool City Council, whose licensing committee has advised that no further licenses be granted for Aigburth’s Lark Lane or Allerton Road.

Although I fear the damage has been done, it’s a fairly bold move and the correct one in my opinion.

Both areas are littered with characterless bars that have served to make them both destinations in their own right for gangs of boozers on a weekend.

The difference from a few years back is that these groups would once have piled into taxis and headed for town, better equipped to deal with such groups.

These days, because there are so many options – some of which stay open past 11pm – people simply stay where they are, moving from bar to bar.

I’ve written before about my feelings on the explosion of bars on Lark Lane, and though there are several places I enjoy having a beer or some food on the Lane, the tipping point was passed some time ago as far as I’m concerned.

I suppose the licensing change will have little impact for the foreseeable future, unless bars start to fall due to the recession. I don’t wish closure on any businesses, but I think their explosion has been to the detriment of Lark Lane, particularly.

According to Councillor Richard Kemp, who represents Allerton’s Church ward, 70 per cent of people agree with the cap on bars in these areas. The police also support the move, having reported an increase in crime in both areas.

It hardly seems like rocket science to make the connection between the rise in the number of boozers and the rise in anti-social behaviour.

I don’t believe it’s the fault of pubs in particular, but the concentration of drinking establishments in these places was a problem waiting to happen.

Personally, I welcome the news. Quality, not quantity, as in most things.