79 London Road licence application

Within weeks of the application by the Kings Tavern to extend it's opening hours later into the evening, residents living around London Road are reeling from a second late licence application, this time by the Impartation Network, 79 London Road, where the current Licensable activities are as follows:

Performance of Plays - Indoor  Friday, Saturday & Sunday 13:00 until 23:00hrs

Performance of Live Music – Indoor Friday, Saturday 13:00 until 23:00hrs and Sunday 1300hrs until 2000

Playing of Recorded Music - Indoor Friday, Saturday 13:00 until 23:00hrs and Sunday 1300hrs until 2000

Sale of Alcohol by Retail – On and Off the Premises Monday to Sunday 1900hrs until 2300

The additional hours in respect of licensable activities as outlined in the variation application are:

Plays, Live Music and recorded music: Friday and Saturday 18:00 until 03:00hrs

Premises open to the public Sunday to Thursday 0900 until 2330 Friday & Saturday 0900 until 0330

I have spent the past few days researching the background to this application.

It seems the Impartation Network (79 London Road) applied for a premises licence earlier this year allowing it to stay open and serve alcohol until 2am on certain days but this was amended to 23:00hrs, possibly as a result of a written representation from the Noise section of RBC.

As a result of the change in application, no consultation letters were sent out to local residents (about the current premises licence), no public hearing took place and the licence was granted.

Following this, the licensee at 79 London Road seems to have applied for a number of temporary event notices allowing them to trade alcohol and provide 'regulated' entertainment at times and on days not specified in their premises licence.

It was news to me until last week, but apparently a T.E.N. allows for up to 499 people to hold an event until whatever time they ask for, regardless of what their premises licence stipulates. Local residents are not consulted as part of the process and the only people who can object are the Police on crime on disorder grounds.

This strikes me as outrageous when these 'events' are taking place in this case, in a highly residential area right next to other houses etc. This puts local people and local Councils at a disadvantage: yet another flaw in the Licensing Act 2003, introduced by New Labour.

Anyway, we are aware that there has been a history of problems in relation to noise nuisance in connection with activities at 79 London Road, and we would be very keen to hear from any residents in the vicinity who are affected by this.

Comments/objections to this licence application must be sent to clyde.masson@reading.gov.uk by 22 July to be taken into consideration. Please let us know if you want us to represent your views to the Licensing Commitee at RBC.