CONTINENTAL-style cafe culture may be on its way to south Bucks. From February next year district councils in England and Wales will take over all licensing from local magistrates courts.

As well as granting licences for selling alcohol, the council will also be responsible for giving out licences for club premises and late night and entertainment licences.

In a draft licensing policy, just published, South Bucks District Council says it aims to encourage people to apply for licenses.

Cllr Peter Adams, the chairman of the licensing committee at the district council said: "This is something we would like to promote in some way because it would bring the community together.

"You could encourage cafs in some of the villages but it would depend if there was much room."

He added: "If you take Gerrards Cross High Street. If you had seven, eight or nine licensed premises there selling alcohol, then you would probably get to a saturation point where it is not needed. It would not be in the public interest."

The move will be welcomed by businesses.

Now licences to serve food, sell alcohol, provide entertainment and other licences will all be provided under one roof.

Cllr Adams said: "We are trying to bring it all together to make it easier for licensed premises to provide entertainment and serve food.

"We are hoping that the paperwork will be slimmed down quite a bit and that all this will bring the community together more."

Rural areas could particularly benefit, Cllr Adams said.

"Towns have already got their own regulations and their own powers, like planning, but rural areas don't.

"It will be a great thing, I think."

Whatever the council decided would be kept under review for the first year to see how the changes worked, he said.

Licences for existing pubs and premises that required renewal would be granted in the same way as normal.

"We have got to look closely at what we have got to do and review it over the year."

The new licensing applications will be accepted for approval by the district council from February 7 next year.