A bar in Stratford has faced backlash against its bid to sell alcohol after complaints about people "shouting, screaming, [and] playing loud music" outside the venue.
Newham Council's licensing sub-committee is set to review a new premises licence application for R3 Restaurant and Bar, in Stratford, at a meeting next Wednesday (March 18), reports our sister title London Now.
It follows three objections to the application from the council's licensing team, environmental health officers and planning team over concerns about "crime and disorder" and "public nuisance".
The bar, also known as R3 Lounge, was first granted a licence for the premises at 88-90 Leytonstone Road in 2023, however this was suspended in November last year after the annual fee was not paid.
According to a report published ahead of the licensing meeting next Wednesday, this fee has "never been paid to date".
A new premises licence application has now been submitted by U MAXIMA Ltd - listed on Companies House as a "licensed clubs" business - to sell alcohol until 2am on weekends and play music until 2.30am.
In the application, the premises is described as a "first floor commercial unit operating as a licensed bar/club" - which the licensing team says raises concerns of a potential increase in "crime and disorder" in an "already problematic area".
Environmental health officers also said the council has already received complaints about "noise and nuisance" created by people leaving the venue in the early hours.
In a letter, public protection officer Ian McConnell said: "The council has received complaints concerning people leaving the venue at closing time and upon leaving the customers will hang around outside shouting, screaming, playing loud music from cars and speakers for a long period of time.
"I am concerned that the applicant hasn’t provided any information on how they will minimise noise and nuisance from dispersal of their customers as late as 2am, and how they will ensure their customers do not cause antisocial behaviour such as urinating outside, using car horns or playing car radios loudly."
To add to this, the council's planning team noted that no planning application has been made alongside the licensing bid, to change the use of the venue to a bar or a club.
There is already a planning enforcement notice in place from 2017, after the premises was changed into a "drinking establishment" without permission.
Principal planner Chloe Selwood said in a letter: "It is noted that should the use of the premises equate to being run as a bar, this would be a direct contravention of the enforcement notice issued.
"Continued operation in contravention of an enforcement notice is a criminal offence, and therefore any continued operation in the future as a drinking establishment would not meet the objective of preventing crime within the borough."
The phone number for R3 Restaurant and Bar appears as invalid when called.
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