by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporting Service.
An objection has forced a hearing into an application for a drinks licence for a new Weymouth business.
The premises, at 4 St Edmund Street, described as a café/coffee shop and bar, is asking for a new premises licence which would allow drink sales, on and off the premises, up until midnight daily, with extra time on New Year’s Eve.
The building was last used as a carpet shop and has been empty for a year.
The licensing application states that the main business will be as a daytime café/bar with later activities generally only on Fridays and Saturdays and, even then, closing much earlier than nearby pubs, bars and nightclubs, one of which is able to stay open until 4am.
Said a letter to the licensing panel which will consider the application next week (13th) : “We want to reassure residents that this premises will not operate as a nightclub-like venue… our aim is to provide a well-managed, respectful venue that enhances the locality – offering a community-focused, daytime-led café/bar with only limited evening and night-time activity.”
Initially there were four objections to the application mainly around the risk of noise from the premises but after an email addressing the concerns from the business only the Respect Weymouth group as continued with its objection.
The application includes the ability to be able to play live and recorded music up until half an hour past midnight, and to show films until midnight.
The premises licence application says that door supervisors might be used on occasion, with events risk assessed as they arise.
The designated manager for the premises has been named as Mr Gareth Burton who holds a personal licence issued by Southampton City Council.
Application details say the business will comply with all the current safeguards around the sale of alcohol with the premises covered by closed circuit tv and a log kept of any incidents, Notices will be prominently displayed asking customers to respect neighbours and leave quietly with no overnight disposal of glasses and bottles to reduce nightime noise levels.
Respect Weymouth say that while they support some of the proposals for the premises in principle they would like to see a more formal noise management plan put in place and the addition of a lobby door to provide an extra layer of sound protection from the single entrance. The group say they are concerned about the potential for late-night disturbance in the area by adding another premises to an already busy part of the town.
