Cafes and shops in St Albans and Harpenden will be encouraged to stay open until late in the evening.

The idea is one of a number of measures recommended by a report into how to boost the district’s night-time economy.

A survey of residents found later opening times on the high street, particularly for coffee shops, was one of the most popular proposals.

Councillors also want the café at the new Museum and Art Gallery, due to open in early 2018, to stay open past 5pm.

They said it should host community functions in the evening and have a site where it can advertise evening and late-night local events.

St Albans city and district council’s community, environment and leisure scrutiny committee (CELSC) accepted the recommendations at its meeting on Tuesday 8 November.

The report was compiled by the Committee’s Night-Time Economy Task and Finish Group.

Councillors will seek some street lighting kept on at the weekends until 2am rather than midnight to so residents feel safe when they walk home.

This move is to be raised with Hertfordshire County Council which has responsibility for this service.

CELSC chair Cllr Anthony Rowlands said: “This is the culmination of an impressive year-long investigation into how to improve the local night-time economy.

“It is the first time we have looked at this issue for around a decade during which the demand for night-time services in the area has soared and people’s social habits have changed.

“We have agreed on a package of proposals which our inquiries show the public will support and I hope the cabinet will accept our recommendations.

“In particular, we need to encourage cafes to stay open longer as that is what people want and it would also be good to see some shops open later, especially in the run-up to Christmas.”

The task and finish group held five meetings last year to explore ideas for enhancing the night-time offering in St Albans and Harpenden for businesses, residents and visitors.

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