BEXLEYHEATH: Councillors and residents in shock over decision

9:39am Wednesday 31st October 2001

BAR GETS ITS LICENCE

A TROUBLESOME pub which has provoked an avalanche of complaints, has been granted a public entertainment licence.

Residents and ward councillors who opposed the application from Bar Ice on the corner of Pickford Road and the Broadway, Bexleyheath, said they were shocked, disappointed and amazed by the decision.

Many of the pub's neighbours, five councillors, the police and Bexley's environmental health department were against the application to Bexley Council.

The hearing took nearly nine hours over two days as the panel of councillors heard a catalogue of complaints especially about the disorderly behaviour in the streets.

Residents described huge crowds milling around at the top of Pickford Road, a residential street, often bringing traffic in the Broadway to a standstill.

They spoke about fights breaking out, bottles being thrown, huge quantities of glass littering the roads and men and women urinating in gardens and other places.

Environmental health officer Kevin O'Brien-Wheeler said he spoke to the owners of the pub Stuart Williams and Kemal Djemal after seeing the pub's doors and windows open, allowing the noise of music to escape into the street.

He said he had made 11 visits and had heard noise from the pub as far away as 150m. He said he had also written to the owners outlining his serious concerns about the noise, but had never received any reply.

Gordon Hunter, licensing officer for Bexleyheath police, said the police were concerned about Bar Ice attracting more young people into Bexleyheath Broadway which was likely to result in more disorder on the streets and strain Bexleyheath police's ability to deal with it.

He was also concerned that granting the licence, which will allow dancing, would mean more disturbance for the residents, as the pub is right on the fringe of the Broadway and bordering residential streets.

The licensee, Steven Selby, and Stuart Bourner from a company called Specialised Surveillance gave evidence in favour of the application.

Bar Ice's solicitor Mark Blenkarne said many of the complaints about Bar Ice could be better controlled if it got its public entertainment licence because the council could put conditions on it.

The licence was granted for a year from December 1 and the pub will have to reapply next year to renew it.

It will allow music and dancing on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until 11pm and on Sundays until 10.30pm but not until the conditions imposed are met.

The pub must meet these criteria:

A sealed noise limiter must be installed and all windows must be locked

CCTV inside and outside the premises

No admission after 10.30pm and door supervisors on a ratio of one to 60 patrons must be on the doors by 8.30pm

A maximum number of 140 people on the ground floor and 100 on the first floor, subject to a full structural survey, and all fire precautions to be met