A special licensing policy encompassing Kingston town centre will not be reduced, councillors have decided.

Instead the Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ), which gives Kingston Council additional powers to refuse premises new or varied alcohol licenses, has been extended to include both Cromwell Road and Cattle Market bus stations.

Members of Kingston Council's licensing committee were last night asked to consider whether the CIZ, which covers Grove, Tudor and Canbury wards, could be reduced to cover only the Grove area - where the majority of the town's late night activity takes place.

The idea had been branded "an insult" to north Kingston residents by Canbury ward councillor Andrea Craig, who spoke at the meeting.

The committee were persuaded not only to keep Tudor and Canbury wards within the CIZ, but to increase it to include the two bus stops.

Committee chair Chrissie Hitchcock said: "The committee was requested to give their views on the cumulative impact policy and after a discussion we decided to keep the zone the same, with the addition of the bus stations.

"If we had decided to reduce it it would have upset the people who were living in it.

"It was just common sense."