Draft text of letter to local residents who have made representations
Dear ………..
Application to vary the Premises Licence for the Sloop
I am the solicitor who has been instructed by Hall and Woodhouse Limited who own the Sloop, and on behalf of Paul Lavery who has been the landlord there since the end of November last year.
I am writing to you because I have been sent a copy of the representation that you made with regard to the application to vary the premises licence. The Licensing Department at the Council have seen a draft of this letter and are content that I should write to you direct.
As you will no doubt have noticed, the Sloop is currently closed and is undergoing a major refurbishment at a cost of about £150,000.00. Internally this involves a complete redecoration and modernisation of the kitchen etc. It also involves installing new double doors that look out onto the car park and the creation of a large internal lobby at what is the rear of the pub. Externally, maintenance work is being undertaken with windows, soffits and gutters being repaired and repainted and, as you will no doubt have noticed, the old patio area to the rear of the pub has also been dug up.
Planning permission has already been granted in respect of the works to the garden but the approved scheme is significantly smaller than the original plans and there will certainly be no floodlit barbeque area as some people may have been led to believe. To assist you in that regard I enclose copies of the plans of both the internal and external layout.
There is absolutely no intention of turning the Sloop into a late night music venue or anything like that – indeed, the intention and hope is that the premises will become more food led than at present.
You may also not be aware that ever since late 2005, the Sloop has had a licence that allows it to remain open and to sell alcohol 24 hours, 365 days of the year. The pub does not of course ever stay open for 24 hours and generally closes at about midnight on Sundays through to Wednesdays and between 1 and 2 a.m. on Thursdays through to Saturdays, depending on how many customers are present. I can assure you that there is no intention that this should change.
As far as music is concerned, I am sorry that some local residents have had cause to complain in the past and that is much regretted. A number of measures are being introduced to alleviate any concerns that you and others might have. For example, in future, each of the entrances/exits to and from the pub will have an internal lobby. All internal doors will be fitted with self closures and we have agreed a request from the Environmental Health Department that if music is being provided after 11 p.m., both internal and external doors will be kept shut except for access and egress and all windows will be kept closed. We have also volunteered conditions that are not at present on the licence that after 11 p.m. “the volume of any amplified music shall be controlled so as to ensure that no noise nuisance is caused to occupiers of any nearby residential premises” and that noise levels outside the premises shall be monitored at least once every 30 minutes to ensure that noise levels are maintained at an acceptable level.
That all said and given the concerns that have been expressed, particularly about noise on weekdays, we are also amending the application so that any live music performance will have to end by midnight on Sundays to Thursdays (including Bank Holiday Sundays and Mondays), by 1 a.m. on Thursday nights and 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The only exception to this would be New Year’s Eve – the premises are currently licensed throughout New Year’s Day but would be limited to 2 a.m. as on a Saturday night. We are also offering a condition that there shall be no performance by a Disc Jockey after midnight on Sundays to Thursdays (including Bank Holiday Sundays and Mondays), after 1 a.m. on Thursday nights and 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The only exception would again be New Year’s Eve into New Year’s Day.
Some residents have expressed concern about later comings and goings from the car park. A new CCTV system is being fitted which includes 5 external cameras (with night vision) which will monitor what goes on outside and provide an additional safeguard. However, I do emphasise that there is no intention that the Sloop should remain open for longer than is currently the case, even though the licence permits it.
May I also mention that the Licensing Act does provide redress to any resident who has a legitimate complaint about licensed premises in that if in future your worst fears are realised (and we are confident that this will not be the case), you can at any time (and free of charge) request the Licensing Authority to review any premises licence that it has granted and that, ultimately, could lead to a revocation of the licence. Given the investment that is being made here and the fact that the Sloop is a public house that relies on local people for its trade, I hope that you will accept that neither the Brewery nor the Landlord would want to do anything that might put the licence in jeopardy. Furthermore, there are 3 children of primary school age living in the flat above the Sloop and Mr Lavery is as anxious as anyone that their sleep is not disturbed.
Finally, you will no doubt have received a notice to the effect that a meeting of the Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee has been convened to consider this application on 19th June. You have every right to attend that meeting if you wish but, if in the light of this letter you feel sufficiently re-assured, you can advise the Council’s Licensing Officers that you wish to withdraw your objection – if everyone does that, a hearing would not be necessary. If there is any further information I can provide you with, please do not hesitate to contact me by telephone, post or email.
Yours sincerely
Philip Day
Telephone (direct) 01202 444545