An application, submitted by Magnolia Bell Ltd on behalf of Living Ventures, for a variation of the premises license relating to No.15 London Road has caused concern amongst some local residents.
Living Ventures, creators of established brands such as The Living Room, and owners of Gusto Restaurant and Bar, The Grill on the Alley and Suburbia, have taken out a 25 year lease on No.15 and submitted an application to extend the hours until 2 am on Thursdays and 3 am on Fridays & Saturdays - leading to fears that No.15 is set to become a bar/club, similar to Suburbia, which Living Ventures recently opened in Hale.
The license they have applied for covers: live music, recorded music, performance of dance, sale and supply of alcohol, provision of facilities for making music, provision of facilities for dancing and late night refreshments.
The premises have been empty since No.15 Wine Bar closed its doors in March after 35 years. Significant refurbishment of the building is planned with the premises due to re-open in the summer under a new brand the “Red Piano”.
Sites in Manchester and Knutsford are also due to open in 2010 under the new brand, which will operate in a similar format to the “The Living Room”, combining a strong food offering with a successful bar open until the early hours.
The Red Piano will offer a full service restaurant serving snacks and a full menu at lunchtime. Food will be available throughout the day and in the evening the restaurant will be available on two floors. A key element of the Red Piano is the bar which will be punctuated by live music, from the red piano, and offer a varied cocktail menu.
A statement from Living Ventures said “The new owners of No.15 are anxious to recreate the glory days of No.15 and are aware of the heritage and history attached to the site.”
“Having traded very successfully in Alderley Edge for the last five years at Gusto we are aware of the needs of the market both in terms of serving it with a product for which there is demand and in terms of trading sensitively and sensibly in the village environment.”
“We not only have experience in terms of Alderley Edge but also many other similar and highly sensitive mixed economy locations where the needs of residents and late night operation have to be managed.”
Following months of disruption with the development of the new Tesco Store the residents of Clifton Street are starting to feel besieged by big retailers and developers. Whilst many have no objection to the reinstatement of the previous license under the new operator (12.30 am Sunday to Thursday and 1.30 am on Fridays and Saturdays), many feel that a license until 3 am is totally inappropriate and unacceptable to nearby residents.
A number of residents from Clifton Street and Trafford Road have written to The Licensing Authority because they are extremely worried about noise pollution as a result of; the music, people leaving at 3 am, who may park or walk down the nearby residential streets, taxis waiting and people smoking outside.
Many local residents feel that there are already enough late license venues in Alderley Edge which exacerbate anti-social behavior “such as urinating, vomiting, smashing bottles, shouting & swearing in the streets.”
Alderley Edge Parish Council also objected to the application because they feel the proposed hours of opening are too late and "will lead to increased noise in the area and disturb residents who live close to London Road."
They have suggested the following conditions could be imposed: maximum decibel count, sound-proofing measures, windows closed from 9 pm, doors closed from 9 pm and no access to garden for a smoking zone.
Ahead of Thursday’s meeting of the Licensing Sub-Committee to consider the application for the variation of a premises license at No. 15 a spokesman for Living Ventures stated;
“Having considered the concern expressed by local residents we propose to offer a reduction in the terminal hour in our application on Thursday, Friday and Saturday to 2 am for the service of alcohol and provision of entertainment and a closing time of the premises of 2.30 am on these days, which effectively represents an hour and a half earlier than Panacea on these nights to reflect the more sensitive residential location of No.15.”
"The requests of both the police and environmental health officers have been addressed with amendments to the application notably limiting the operation of the external areas.”
The Licensing Sub-Committee are meeting on Thursday 28th January to consider the application for the variation of a premises license at No. 15. Wine Bar, London Road. We will let you know the outcome as soon as we hear.
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My article was already written but Jeremy did tell me that he had invited objectors to a meeting with him in Gusto this evening but said "regrettably only one person turned up - it is such a shame as nothing gets sorted out unless people talk and we are always ready to talk."