Westminster City Council has proposed refusing new pub, bar, fast food and music venue licenses in the West End cumulative impact zone between Oxford Street and Trafalgar Square. The draft guidance favors predominantly seated operations with fixed seating and table service over vertical drinking. The borough already contains roughly 500 pubs, bars and wine bars plus 1,750 cafes and restaurants, more licensed venues than any other UK area, following five London heatwaves this year.