Application for extended late licence at the Great Exhibition

[*Bob*]

That's a lovely opening post there, Longboy.

I say, did you ever get those cardboard boxes? It would be awfully brilliant if you did.

[James Barber]

The public meeting has been moved forward by one day to 15th August.

[KidKruger]

Love it:

"No one coming in playing stupid little instruments."

A thread on this Person's quotes couldn't hurt either !

I like his idea of a pub, but without the strippers.

[El Pibe]

In reality the 'traditional pub' in London comes in one of two flavours these days.

The ersatz pub in the centre of town full of tourists getting an overpriced authentic pub experience that smells of cheap plastic whilst generating too much static on the man made fibres of the carpet, or the real variety to be found in dwindling numbers in ungentrified suburban corners of london where you can enjoy a flat lager or an eggy bitter with your stale crisps surrounded by the heady aromas of failure, regret and a sense of ones miserable mortality.

If you want a 'proper' pub I suggest you leave London. If you want strippers then just pop in to shoreditch with your pound coins ready for the proffered pint glass on your way home.

[Chillaxed]

Chris, are you really as hard as you post to be or would you piss yourself if you walked into a pub like the one you describe as your perfect pub? Having a hard time reconciling the kiss you ended your first post with (many thanks) with most of your posts thereafter.

[The Teacher]

I think without the late opening time the pub may go under its rarely busy and is abit expensive considering its out the way. Maybe an idea is to lower prices and advertise more even 30p lower will attract customers. A later closing time can work but, what exactly would be going on in there music a dj? unfortunately a stumbling block is the residents who live close and it would be a possible nightmare if proper secuirity were not monitoring more rowdy customers. Its worth giving it a chance as long as staff who work there and the people in chrge of the doors work properly to stop noise. I feel strong management is needed to do this and does the pub have that?

[pipsky2008]

An issue with noise of people entering or leaving the premises at a late hour when it is reasonable for residents to want to be able to sleep, ie, 23.00 is that a doorperson won't be able to ask people to be quite until the noise has been made by which residents have been disturbed.

[piazzola]

If you are planning to attend the conciliation meeting and would like to coordinate with other neighbours ahead of it please PM me

Thanks!

[BigED]

Just a word of encouragement - it seems to be important that people who are concerned do turn up to the conciliation meeting to let the GE applicants know the degree of local concern.

There has been talk of it being quiet at the Great Exhibition some nights last week. Well, it seemed to have recovered by Friday night - doors and windows open at 11pm, lots of people outside, no sign of anyone being moved inside, plenty of noise - nothing amplified, but late at night, when the world goes a bit quiet, you notice a load of people who have been drinking for a while and talking a bit louder then they need to. It's quite a contrast with The Actress just a couple of minutes down the road where people are moved inside at 10 pm (I think) which does mitigate the noise problem for neighbours. I don't really understand why the council can't impose similar restrictions on all pubs in residential areas as standard practice.

For those saying it has been quiet lately at the GE, the Olympic games have been on in London (no, really) and lots of businesses have been complaining about a downturn in business - too many people staying at home and shouting at the telly, rather than watching it down the pub - that's what happens when you stop Sky from having a stranglehold - everyone can watch. Also, it's the summer holidays and lots of people have been forced to spend time on holiday with their nearest and dearest rather than running to the pub to escape them for a few hours.

Anyway, if you are able to make it to the rearranged conciliation meeting at the Great Exhibition on Wednesday 15th then please do come and let the GE hear your views first hand. And we can listen to any reassurances they might be able to give (though personally, there is no way I can envisage being up for agreeing with the opening time extensions or the siting of a bar and food service area in the rear courtyard).

See you on the 15th.

[MrBen]

Update!

Conciliation meeting is still this Wednesday 15th August but venue has been changed to East Dulwich Community Centre, which is at 44-64 Darrell Road.

[BigED]

and the start time is still 18:30. The council afficer arranged the new venue as some people were uneasy about having the meeting at the Great Exhibition.

[JohnL]

What's that 'sale by retail of alcohol to be consumed off the premises'. Does that mean you can drink up in the street ?

[the-e-dealer]

Off License sales.

[BigED]

Just a reminder that the conciliation meeting takes place this evening at 6.30, at the Community Centre on Darrell Road. The format is an informal discussion between the applicants (The Great Exhibition) and local resident with an interest in the license application (you don't have to have put in a formal objection or other comment to the council to come to the meeting, though I think formal invitations have only gone to those who did). Southwark Council licensing and environmental protection team officers will also be attending.

It is an opportunity for those with concerns about the application to put them to the Great Exhibition in person. And of course it is an opportunity for the Great Exhibition to allay at least some of those fears.

Do try to come along if you are potentially affected by the proposed changes to the license - the more people who turn up to have an input, the more likely it is that Southwark Council officers will take note of reasoned objections.

[the-e-dealer]

not sure why I put this here!

[James Barber]

Thanks to the 40-50 residents who turned up last night.

The licensing sub-committee will decide this application, unless the applicant does the decent thing and withdraw it and sort their current anit-social behaviour out - 10am 30 August at councils HQ at 160 Tooley street, SE1.

BUT this is daytime during the summer holidays and clear many people wont be able to attend then.

so I have requested the chair of the licensing committe Cllr Sunil Chopra that the date be ushed out a week or two, be held locally in East dulwich and in the evening. Fingers crossed he accepts this reasonable request.

The sub-committee is three councillors plus 2-4 of council officials coming to East Dulwich versus 50+ residents being disappointed or trogging up to Tooley Street.

[Otta]

"unless the applicant does the decent thing and withdraw it "

This is tyhe sort of thing I hate seeing from you James. I'm not for the lisense, but your totally biased opinions as a member of the council are very annoying.

[Jeremy]

I dunno... I'm kind of with James on this one. Applying for a late license in a totally residential area does seem rather selfish to me.

[ED Resident]

In reference to Otta's post, you are of course entitled to your opinion.

By the same token, so is James. I'm entirely happy for our councillors to have an opinion regarding the area they represent, and the convinction / motivation to follow it through.

In this case he also seems to be representing the majority opinion of the local community, which seems a good thing for a councillor to do!

In short - thank you James, your efforts and contribution are much appreciated.

[James Barber]

Hi Otta,

I'm an elected representative. I wont sit on the licensing sub-committee and if I was asked would obviously decline in this instance.

But I am biased on this. Last night we heard for over 40 people how the currently managed pub is blighting lives. We can be sure not everyone could attend with lots on holidays. The applicant needs to be a decent neighbour before contemplating longer hours. Not the other way round. And the evidence given by the applicant was very weak.

Saying all that the Great Exhibiton does look a lot nicer than the old CPT and it could become a real asset if it recognised it's sat in a wholly residential area.

[StraferJack]

just shows how elected representatives are damned if they do and damned if they don't

james doesn't express and opinion means he is ignoring the people who voted him in and has his "own agenda"

james does express an opinion based on the apparent majority of people and his opinions are "biased"

Sometimes an issue really isn't that divisive - in this case a back street pub is over-reaching it's support with a 2:00am licence application and it's entirely appropriate for James to call that silly

[the-e-dealer]

This is one thing James should stop!

[DulwichFox]

So the Music goes off at 23.00. The doors are shut and everyone sits there drinking for further 3 1/2 hours.

Not going to be any Drunkeness is there. ... and everyone will Toddle off Home Quietly.

Fox.

[MrBen]

I don't care about party politics, but also thank James Barber for his support on this last night - he gave a good innings.

The fact is that there are noise issues with TGE on the CURRENT hours, never mind with any late license. On Tuesdays and Thursdays (quiz / live music) most residents in the flats opposite can't easily get to sleep until 11.30 odds. This is a fact unless ear plugs and sleeping pills are brought into play. So I think there should actually be an additional RESTRICTION placed on the premises rather than an extension.

Why can't this pub follow the Gowlett and Actress in similar areas with a 10pm-ish close on outside space and at least put some acoustic blinds on the (single pane) street side windows /close doors for live music night?

From TGE's positioning it's been an epic PR fumble. It's not ten stuffy NIMBYS complaining here. It's over 50 houses/flats at the heart of their trade. They go large on their claim to be a "community pub". Nice idea but a community minded pub would surely listen to the people that like and frequent it? (which BTW many of the objectors do).

If they gracefully withdrew then I think it would be a start and win them friends. Fix a few things for the current noise on Tues/Thurs and they'll make a whole load more. They're reading this now but I wonder....will they listen?

[Jeremy]

Looks like James is doing a great job here in helping the local residents to get their voices heard. It's a serious issue that impacts quality of life for those living nearby.