A Brighton seafront venue agreed to stop serving alcohol earlier than it had planned if it could have a licence with conditions that were more relaxed than previously.
The Brighton Zip, in Madeira Drive, had asked to be allowed to serve drinks until 11pm during the summer months but the owner, Jeff Sanders, said that he could close earlier.
Mr Sanders said, however, that he needed a licence with “café” conditions rather than “restaurant” conditions – meaning that food should be available but people could drink without having to order food.
He said that although food and drink were “ancillary”, the zipwire wouldn’t be financially viable without them – and the business had already suffered significantly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
Mr Sanders was applying for a licence only because the zipwire operator, Happyvale, went into liquidation in July and a new company, Madeira Leisure, took over.
The licence was not transferred from one company to the other within the time limit allowed by law because a member of staff was off with long covid, Mr Sanders said.
When he applied for a new premises licence, Sussex Police and Brighton and Hove City Council licensing officials objected.
They said that the zipwire was in a busy area of Brighton and Hove which had been designated a “cumulative impact zone” where drink-related crime and disorder caused problems.
They also said that the venue previously operated with “restaurant” conditions attached to its licence but now wanted the more relaxed “café” conditions.
And at a council licensing panel yesterday (Thursday 2 December), it was claimed that the proposed 11pm closing time could lead to people “preloading” before drinking more in nearby late-night venues. This could add to drink-related crime and disorder.
There were also concerns that the proposed licence conditions could prove attractive to stag and hen parties.
Hannah Staplehurst, from Sussex Police, told the licensing panel hearing that the force would not have opposed an application for “restaurant” conditions, with customers required to have a “substantial meal” if ordering alcohol.
She also asked councillors to limit the hours to 10pm if they granted a licence for the venue, adding: “By having (restaurant) conditions, it reduces the risk of people becoming intoxicated as they are eating a substantial meal with their drinks.
“The previous premises licence also only allowed alcohol until 9pm. This current application requests alcohol for an additional two hours with café conditions which would allow persons to drink alcohol without food until 11pm in the cumulative impact zone.
“Sussex Police are concerned people will visit these premises and head to other venues after consuming alcohol at the zipwire without consuming food.”
