Bar’s bid for alcohol and music on rooftop terrace sparks concerns from nearby pub

Customers are already able to enjoy refreshments on the roof terrace at The Original Reggie’s of Stone.

But the Stone High Street venue is now aiming to provide live and recorded music as well as a drinks service upstairs, running until midnight four days a week and until 12.30am on Friday and Saturday nights.

An application to vary the premises licence has been put forward to Stafford Borough Council, which includes extending its alcohol serving times beyond the current limit of 11pm Monday to Saturday.

There have been no objections to the proposed changes from Staffordshire Police and conditions have been agreed between the bar and the borough council’s environmental health officers. A noise limiter will be applied to ensure any music is set at an agreed level after 9pm that reduces disturbance to nearby residents.

But Tanya Moran, the landlady of the nearby Red Lion, has raised concerns about public safety, noise nuisance and crime and disorder, a report to the council’s licensing sub-committee said.

A submission the council in August said: “The venue has been open for a couple of weeks now and on their opening, Friday 31st July, a lot of shouting and bad language could be heard coming from the roof bar area even as early as 10pm. I have recorded the threatening language and noise and have already sent it to a Stone Town Councillor expressing my concern.

“The venue has a newly opened roof bar which has been crowded – despite social distancing guidelines – and the noise from there has given me cause for concern. I’m aware of when banter begins to escalate and discussions become more heated and this has been evident on at least two occasions at the venue within my earshot.

“They have no security staff and from feedback I’ve received from people using the venue no prevention of horse play and antics – which is invariably inevitable when alcohol is involved – which on a roof bar setting isn’t ideal.

“The photographs available online of the venue show quite clearly that the roof bar area’s walls are not exactly high and could easily – and I’ve no doubt – will be climbed onto which could result in injury if someone was to fall from such a height.

Pedestrians

“The venue was previously occupied by a bar called Edisons and there were several incidents of bottles being dropped off/thrown from the roof bar onto the pavement below, obviously endangering pedestrians. At the very least plastic glassware and bottles should only be used – no increase to the height of the walls has taken place with the new owners so this could easily happen again. Even a plastic bottle being thrown isn’t ideal.

“The late opening and trading hours are of concern also, as this will then be one – if not the only at present times – venues open that late, meaning drinkers who have possibly been drinking throughout the day/evening will migrate there for a late drink, with all the public disorder and noise that brings when these drinkers leave the venue.

“I’m not naïve to the noise and high spirits of drinkers and restrict my opening hours to allow for this – more so in our present Covid-19 conditions. My concern is that Stone will have another Crown and Anchor situation to deal with and public health is at risk because of this.

“The drinking public will sadly crowd into anywhere that’s open late, which is why most venues in Stone have reduced opening hours and are closing earlier than usual.”

Stafford Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee is due to consider the application at a hearing on Friday.

Director Lee James said in the application: “The premises is a bar set out over two levels. We currently operate the downstairs area.

“We are proposing to sell alcohol from downstairs and upstairs as well as playing music upstairs on the terrace and downstairs. The upstairs will be on the roof terrace.

“We will ensure we adhere to all four licensing objectives when operating. Friday and Saturday nights will be manned by security on the terrace until closing to ensure that we adhere to keeping the public safe – we will also provide security at busier times of the years and also bank holidays.

“There will be CCTV in full operation on the terrace. To ensure public nuisance is adhered to we will only be playing music to a certain level until 9pm; 9pm onwards we propose to play music at a much lower level.

“Challenge 25 posters will be displayed upstairs at the bar level and – as it is already in our licence – no children will be allowed in the premises after 8.30pm.”