The whole notion of regulating night time activity is hotly contested. Historically, the night-time economy has been regarded as a site of excess, vice and crime and as a result has been subject to much legal, political and indeed moral regulation. More recently, nightlife activity has become accepted as part of mainstream economy and as a tool in urban regeneration. However, while for many regulation of nightlife equates to unnecessary bureaucracy, for others it is seen as necessary to balance different interests within city life.