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The licensing review on the Beaufoy reconvened last week following what can only be described as an abortive first meeting when the police evidence was not as robust as it should have been. I confess that my attempts to find out more about the police’s position in the intervening weeks has done little to enlighten me but nor has it reduced my concerns about the premises.

The formal decision has not been posted on the council’s website yet, however I understand that the decision – following a negotiation between the premises, police and council noise team – was to cut the premises’ licensed hours.

It will now only have a licence until 1am on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights. Perhaps most importantly the premises will need to close 30 minutes after their licensed hours. This removes the loophole that meant it could stay open all night, as long as all sales were completed within licensed hours.

By imposing conditions and bringing the Beaufoy more fully into the council’s licensing regime (I understand elements of the old license traced back to the Greater London Council, not least the long hours) hopefully the new licence will help the landlord keep things in order, and the council and police to enforce if anything gets out of hand.

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A licensing review for Battersea Mess, on Lavender Gardens, has been requested by a local resident on the grounds the existing conditions have not upheld the prevention of public nuisance licensing objective. I understand they seek a restriction of hours and additional conditions.

As a (semi) regular of the Mess I can’t be objective about the review, especially since my experience of the bar is that it is well managed and a welcome addition to the evening and cultural offer of Lavender Hill.

Having said that, the premises have long been largely empty (for example in the out of date Google Street View image). With the, mercifully brief, exception of Walkabout I probably wouldn’t be exaggerating much to suggest it never had more than a dozen customers in at any one time. The difference between a little used pub and a successful pub, restaurant and venue is going to be fairly significant. Though I’m not sure licensing should be used to inhibit success.

If you want to make a representation you have until 8 May.

The council’s licensing pages provide more information.

If you wish to make an observation you can do so by writing to:
Head of Licensing
Licensing Section
London Borough of Wandsworth
PO Box 47095
London
SW18 9AQ

or by emailing licensing@wandsworth.gov.uk

 


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The review of the Beaufoy Bar’s license took place last night. I attended as a local councillor, making a representation on behalf of colleagues and some ward residents (despite the bar’s lawyer arguing I had no right to represent the residents).

Licensing panels are run almost like a court hearing, with various parties giving their evidence and then the opportunity for questions, although not cross-examination. However, and crucially as it turned out, that evidence can only amplify the previously submitted representation shared with the relevant parties.

During last night’s hearing the police and council’s noise team referred to incidents that had not been previously shared. The bar’s lawyer, quite rightly, argued against this. And the panel, again quite rightly, decided to adjourn until the reports to which the police and noise team referred can be shared with the bar and the panel.

When the panel reconvenes it will be considering this set of evidence and then deciding what, if any, measures to take (the council report outlines the possible actions and some recommendations from the police and council). I’ll obviously post here as soon as I know the final outcome.


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An application has been made by the Italian Deli for an alcohol licence at 59 Lavender Hill.

The premises were previously (amongst other things) The Italian Job.

Their application seems relatively moderate: alcohol sales (on and off the premises) and recorded music between 11am and 11pm seven days a week.

If you want to make a representation you have until 28 February. Representations must relate to the four licensing objectives:

  • The prevention of crime and disorder
  • The prevention of public nuisance
  • Public safety
  • The protection of children from harm

The council’s licensing pages provide more information.

If you wish to make an observation you can do so by writing to:
Head of Licensing
Licensing Section
London Borough of Wandsworth
PO Box 47095
London
SW18 9AQ

or by emailing licensing@wandsworth.gov.uk


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This blog has become awfully dull lately, seeming to comprise little more than licensing applications.

Of course, some might say that it was dull before and the licensing applications are what really makes it. And it would be a dull world if everyone thought the same way I do. For one thing, this application would certainly have no chance of success, because of the atrocious use of the ‘Z’ to call the premises ‘Bluez’, when I’m sure they actually mean Blues.

Perhaps, I’m just being old and grumpy. And in a bid to be balanced I’m going to write the rest of my usual licensing spiel in the style of Bluez.

Bluez, at 42 Lavender Hill have applied for a new licence to sell alcohol on the premisez between 11.00am and 10.30pm seven dayz a week.

The premisez have gone through a couple of changez quite rapidly in recent yearz. It had been a second hand shop for a long time (and as long as I can remember), as featured in the Google Streetview at the time of posting. However, last year it became Terre du Sud, a rather nice Italian cafe which I suzpect never quite got the bizniz it deserved. Clearly it is time for a new incarnation.

My initial reaction is that it’s a fairly minor application, well within the borough’z guideline hourz and unlikely to cause any probz for anyone.

However, if you want to make a representation about the application you have until 10 February. Representationz must relate to the four licensing objectives:

  • The prevention of crime and disorder
  • The prevention of public nuisance
  • Public safety
  • The protection of children from harm

The council’s licenzing pages provide more information.

If you wish to make an observation you can do so by writing to:
Head of Licenzing
Licenzing Section
London Borough of Wandzworth
PO Box 47095
London
SW18 9AQ

or by emailing licensing@wandsworth.gov.uk

(Possibly overdid the ‘z’s a bit there. I can only hope it isn’t actually owned by someone called Blue who missed the possessive apostrophe; my blood pressure wouldn’t take it.)


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A licensing review for the Beaufoy Bar on Lavender Hill has been requested by a local resident.

As the law currently stands anyone can ask the council to review the licence of a local premises (and the most recent act expands that power) if they feel the licence does not uphold the licensing objectives. In this case the prevention of crime and disorder and the prevention of public nuisance.

For all the time I’ve been involved in the area the Beaufoy has been a source of complaints. Indeed, one of my very first bits of casework after being elected in 1998 was representing a group of residents who opposed the Beaufoy’s application to extend their opening hours (as I recall they wanted to open late seven days a week). In that case the application was rejected, but to be fair to the Beaufoy when they applied again six months later none of the residents wanted to object; each felt the bar had improved dramatically and a few had even become regulars.

My experience has been that a similar pattern has been followed in the years since then. Problems will mount until someone complains, the licensing department will investigate (and I’ve certainly requested several investigations on behalf of residents) and generally the situation improves for the time being. While I wouldn’t call it an ideal state of affairs, the council has to gather a lot of evidence to take action.

If you want to make a representation about the premises as part of this review you have until 3 February. Representations must relate to the four licensing objectives:

  • The prevention of crime and disorder
  • The prevention of public nuisance
  • Public safety
  • The protection of children from harm

The council’s licensing pages provide more information.

If you wish to make an observation you can do so by writing to:
Head of Licensing
Licensing Section
London Borough of Wandsworth
PO Box 47095
London
SW18 9AQ

or by emailing licensing@wandsworth.gov.uk


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Last month I highlighted the (what I thought) unusual application to turn The Crown on Lavender Hill into a pub and hostel.

Since then the applicant has withdrawn their planning application. While this often happens when it seems rejection – or a recommendation to reject – is likely I do not know if this was the motivation in this case. Since the applicants already own the property, and their business model seems to be pubs and hostels it may well be a revised application will be forthcoming.

Or alternatively, it seems they might just go ahead and become a hostel anyway!

I noted that I was a little concerned that, on the basis it was not a criminal offence, they opened their first hostel in Tower Hamlets without planning permission. But am a little shocked to discover that they didn’t just open without planning permission, they have never got planning permission.

A search on the Tower Hamlets website reveals that they have put in a number of applications for various elements of work to their first hostel. However, two key ones, seeking permission for the hostel element have both been refused. The applications (references PA/11/00268 and PA/11/00998 which you can search for on the Tower Hamlets planning site) sought to gain a ‘change of use’ which essentially claimed it had been a hostel for 10 years anyway (this was refused because there was no evidence, indeed, the owners had paid residential council tax on the property!) and then applied for a formal change of use which was again rejected.

One of the oddities of planning is that the applicant is irrelevant. Legally I can apply for planning permission to do whatever I want, regardless of whether I have the means to do it or even own the property. However, hearing of this sort of behaviour, which seems to pay little regard to the process (or the neighbours, it seems) really doesn’t fill one with confidence.


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I don’t think I’ve ever flagged up a planning application on here in the same way I highlight licensing applications. There are several reasons for this, the main one being that planning is just not one of my things: I know how important it is, but it’s not something that interests me as much as other aspects of local government.

I’m making an exception for The Crown on Lavender Hill. The future of this site has been the topic of local discussion and rumour, the strongest that it would become a St Mungo’s Hostel for alcoholics. It looks like there was some basis in fact for that and a planning application has been made by the Great Eastern Public House to turn the upper floors into a commercial hostel with seven dormitories and a maximum of 60 beds.

This might raise fears for those who suffered problems they associated with a busy hostel above Mish Mash when it was at 45 Lavender Hill.

Great Eastern have a website detailing the work they have done elsewhere. While looking nice, I can’t help but be a little concerned that they happily detailed their intention to start operating before receiving the necessary approvals:

We informed [Tower Hamlets council] of our intention to begin operating as a Hostel, and therefore sell the accommodation by the bed, a week before our application submission date.

They argued this was not a criminal offence, but I can’t help but find it a rather worrying attitude.

You can see the application on the council’s planning portal (use reference 2011/4220).


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The Shaftesbury Club at 128 Lavender Hill have applied for an extension to their current hours.

They are applying to extend their hours for music and entertainment to midnight seven days a week, and for the sale of alcohol until midnight every night except Friday and Saturday for which they have applied for a 1am licence.

Their current hours are until 11pm Monday to Saturday and 10.30pm on Sunday.

I genuinely have no idea what the Shaftesbury Club is. Until recently I suspect most people would have walked past without even noticing it was there, although the smoking ban and a much more prominent sign will have changed that in recent years. The story I heard many years ago is that it was established for Shaftesbury Park Estate residents who had no pub or club because a covenant prevents a sale of alcohol on the estate. I have no idea how true either part of that is, but imagine the club continues to serve a local clientele.

If you want to make a representation you have until 7 July. Representations must relate to the four licensing objectives:

  • The prevention of crime and disorder
  • The prevention of public nuisance
  • Public safety
  • The protection of children from harm

The council’s licensing pages provide more information.

If you wish to make an observation you can do so by writing to:
Head of Licensing
Licensing Section
London Borough of Wandsworth
PO Box 47095
London
SW18 9AQ

or by emailing licensing@wandsworth.gov.uk


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Pizza Toscana at 127A Lavender Hill have applied for a later licence.

I’m never really sure what to think about this sort of application, on the face of it they are primarily selling food, so you wouldn’t expect problems, but in other areas often pubs, bars and clubs are relatively trouble-free – instead it’s the late night fast-food venues where people congregate that trouble flares up.

Toscana want to extend their hours from 11pm to midnight Sunday to Thursday and stay open until 2am on the mornings following Friday and Saturday. They are also applying for a licence to sell alcohol until 11.30pm on Sunday to Thursday and right up until 2am on the mornings following Friday and Saturday.

If you want to make a representation you have until 6 April. Representations must relate to the four licensing objectives:

  • The prevention of crime and disorder
  • The prevention of public nuisance
  • Public safety
  • The protection of children from harm

The council’s licensing pages provide more information.

If you wish to make an observation you can do so by writing to:
Head of Licensing
Licensing Section
London Borough of Wandsworth
PO Box 47095
London
SW18 9AQ

or by emailing licensing@wandsworth.gov.uk