Application for extended late licence at the Great Exhibition

[piazzola]

Dear neighbours,

We need as many people as possible attending the hearing on the 30th. While we are trying to get the time and location changed to make it easier for people to attend, we still need more numbers as we are running thin! We know it's difficult for some but please we need your help. Bring your children, grandmother, etc along as its important that councillors see how we are all being affected by the Great Exhibition's lack of concern for the ED community. Please PM me if you'd like more info about the hearing. If you cannot make it it's important that you still fill in the form sent by the Council and nominate a representative to speak on your behalf.

Thanks!

[Hawley]

Hello all

This just received from Zelgrain Ltd via Southwark Licensing:

Statement re The Great Exhibition / Amendment of Application

Following the conciliation meeting, organise by your authority, my clients have asked me to pass on

their conclusions and to make the necessary amendments:

?The application to extend the hours of the Great Exhibition was made in order to satisfy the wishes of

the many customers from the local community who have been pleased with what we have created at

the former CPT and who have asked to be able to enjoy the pub later into the night.

Given the existing terminal hours are reasonably early by comparison with some of the pubs in the

area and in similar residential areas where our pubs operate, we applied for them to be extended.

Despite the suggestion by certain of the residents present at the meeting that our actions were in

some way gratuitous or underhand, the application was made in good faith.

And it is in good faith that we now adjust our application, having listened to the concerns of those

residents who presented reasonable and rational grounds for objecting to what we were proposing.

Our intention is to get a balance between the needs of the many residents who enjoy the pub and

those that are impacted by its increased popularity. We are not ashamed of the commercial benefit

that meeting customer expectations brings, but neither are we blas? about the wishes of our

neighbours.

And it is as a gesture of goodwill to the latter that we withdraw the current application to extend

permitted hours and seek to establish the impact of our existing trade, reviewing the operating

procedures as appropriate.

We are grateful to Southwark Council?s Licensing Team for affording us the opportunity to meet those

residents who had sent in representations and we hope that our revised application coupled with our

internal investigations is indicative of the pub?s desire to balance the needs of its customers with the

needs of its neighbours.?

Following on from this statement, I therefore wish to amend the application to vary by

withdrawing all items applied for, save the addition of the rear yard to the licensed plan which

was advised by the licensing authority.

Conscious of the comments from the resident who lives behind the pub, we would offer a

terminal hour for this area of 21:30 Sunday to Thursday and 22:30 Friday to Saturday.

Following the proposed terminal hours, access to and from the kitchen located in this yard will

be through lobbied doors.

I trust you will inform the relevant interested parties of these amendments and contact me should you

require any further clarification of my client?s position.

Therefore the only part of the application remaining is to add the rear garden to the plan and

Licence so that it may be used for the consumption of alcohol, food and other drinks.

All additional hours and non-standard timings are withdrawn.

Kind regards

GT Licensing Consultants on behalf of Zelgrain Ltd

[Earl Aelfheah]

I'm not sure it's fair to suggest that TGE has no concern for the ED community. They've actually breathed new life into a previously failing pub. They've also encouraged a new craft fair and put on many other good community events. The pub has proved very popular since it opened (which I believe is part of what those in close proximity are unhappy about) and I for one think it's a great addition to the neighbourhood.

You may not think it's location is appropriate for a late licence, which I fully understand, but please don't assume that your view is necessarilly the view of the whole community.

[the-e-dealer]

I think the above revision to their application may indicate some concern for the community.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Oh yes... cross posted with statement from TGE. Well there you go.

[djsenior]

Regarding the recent statement "Amendment of Application"

The application to extend the hours was NOT made to satisfy the wishes of local community, this is clear by the 50 signatures of local residents who signed a petition expressing concerns about the EXISTING noise levels, but a strategic plan to increase the noise levels by application of an outside drinking area - how an outside drinking area is going to reduce CURRENT noise levels is beyond me.

I strongly advise those affected by the noise, make moves towards ensuring the local community can SLEEP when they need by pushing for the rules that apply to our other local favorite The Actress, who have the sense to work more closely with the immediate neighbors rather than antagonise them by not only keeping up the existing noise but also adding an outside drinking area.

If TGE really cared about the wishes of local residents then it would ensure they can sleep at night - a rather basic function/requirement when living in a residential area, which they did BEFORE TGE created the ludicrously loud noises coming out of their (recently requested) late night, outdoor drinking den..

We - the local residents - want a flourishing business in ED but not one that keeps locals awake at night above and beyond what is reasonable.

PLEASE push for the EXISTING LICENSE to be REVIEWED and measures taken to REDUCE the CURRENT awful noise levels... and not be lured in by what they deem a compromise in keeping existing noise and INCREASING it with outdoor drinking.

[djsenior]

Regarding - addition of the rear yard to the licensed plan which was advised by the licensing authority.

offer a terminal hour for this area of 21:30 Sunday to Thursday and 22:30 Friday to Saturday.

Please consider whether ANYONE would be content with an outdoor drinking den next door to their house, open until at least 21:30 EVERY NIGHT. Is is likely that those drinking in that location will keep noise levels to a minimum ?

The letter states that TGE is NOT Blase about the wishes of their neighbours - This additional application is clearly blase, as the neighbours CANNOT SLEEP with EXISTING NOISE LEVELS.... let alone ADDING to the noise.

[djsenior]

One more thing to add - TGE or Zelgrain Ltd (a company - NOT a friendly local businessman/landlord) have hired GT Licensing Consultants - Professional Service for all your Alcohol & other Licensing Needs! (cut and paste from their website)

As the strapline suggest "for all your Alcohol and Licensing needs"

Why a would a Company need hire a Professional Alcohol specialist ? to do whatever is possible to sell more Booze perhaps...

[djsenior]

Innbrighton Ltd the Parent of Zelgrain Ltd - according to June 2011 posted accounts made a Gross Profit of ?14,681,807

?14.5 MILLION pounds sterling

(source www.duedil.com - information taken from Companies House)

Perhaps they can use some of the Net profit to SOUND PROOF The Great Exhibition and resolve the EXISTING noise pollution.

[DJKillaQueen]

Now you sound like you want to put the pub out of business altogether DJsenior. It's a pub. People will congregate there. They've withdrawn the application for extended hours so the thrust of the licensing application no longer exists.

[djsenior]

Nonsense, the pub IS a welcome addition to ED, but like The Actress (which is located in a less residential area) it needs to be more mindful and considerate of its neighbours who cannot sleep under existing licensing terms...

Locals being tricked by a strategy designed by a specialist alcohol licensing firm to add an outdoor drinking den to the existing license is unlikely to happen in this area, as they are wise to the plan. I'm sure locals will continue to fight until they can sleep at night. Not an unreasonable request.

[Jeremy]

djsenior, you're ranting! Talk of "drinking dens", doing "whatever is possible to sell more Booze", etc. And how dare a company actually make a profit!!

They've withdrawn their application - they've realised the amount of local opposition and backed down. By all means pursue your request for sound-proofing, but stick to the relevant facts, instead of all this nonsense.

[djsenior]

Jeremy, you appear to have commented 6844 times on this forum, I wonder which of us is Actually doing the ranting...

TGE should be soundproofed.

[Jeremy]

Oh, I do plenty of ranting. Agreed.

I just think that it will be more positive to your cause if you focus on the facts, instead of attempting to smear the reputation of the company.

[Otta]

djsenior, it's hard to believe you'd be happy whatever they did.

Why on earth did you buy a house near a pub?

[DJKillaQueen]

Jeremy is right though. You are sounding as though you 'protesteth too much'.

There will always be some noise with any pub and if I moved next to one I'd expect that, just as I would expect at least normal opening hours (i.e. till 11.30 evenings) and just as I would expect it to be noisier at weekends. I think you have been quite right to oppose later opening hours but the pub has now withdrawn that application.

*crossed post with otta but saying the same thing*

[djsenior]

Jeremy - I assume you are not being adversely affected by the current noise pollution, if my assumption is correct, your comments are falling on deaf ears - unlike the neighbours of TGE who have fully operational ears and can't sleep due to the current noise.

TGE should be soundproofed.

[djsenior]

The new application for an outside drinking "area" should not be allowed to proceed - the neighbours (50 signed a petition) CANNOT SLEEP - so ANY additional application is ludicrous.

TGE should be soundproofed. The outside drinking area open until 21:30 EVERY NIGHT should NOT be allowed to proceed.

[David A]

I'd have a quick lie down, djsenior.

It's a lovely evening and the after-work crowd are on their way.

Can I get you anything while I'm at the bar?

[Otta]

What time do you go to bed djsenior, 7pm?

[djsenior]

Sarcastic comments are rather unkind when families and the elderly are suffering from severe sleep deprivation due to noise pollution - and those producing the noise are carefree and now wishing to extend that noise over additional hours in an outside space.

TGE should be soundproofed. The outside drinking area open until 21:30 EVERY NIGHT should NOT be allowed to proceed.

[David A]

Just a half then?

[Otta]

djsenior, you over egg the pudding, and people lose sympathy.

There has been a pub there for over a century, and whilst I admit it was VERY loud last Saturday, it isn't like that every night by any stretch.

[djsenior]

TGE should be soundproofed. The outside drinking area open until 21:30 EVERY NIGHT should NOT be allowed to proceed.

[Otta]

Yeah you said that already.

Several times.

Perhaps you could save up your egg boxes and go there in the dead of night and do a DIY soundproofing.