Stanmer House leaseholder KSD came up with a compromise as the company tried to persuade a licensing panel that it should be allowed to stay open later.
KSD Support Services Limited has applied to be allowed to serve alcohol until 1am on a Saturday and Sunday morning.
The company also wants an extra 30 minutes of drinking up time so that the venue would close at 11.30pm on Sunday to Thursday and 1.30am on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
KSD also wanted to be permitted to play music – live or recorded – and serve late-night refreshment until 1am on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
But Sussex Police were concerned about potential problems and had concerns that events could turn into raves, attracting “unwanted guests” if permission was granted to play music outside.
So KSD agreed to a police proposal that there should be a “hard finish” to music being played in the outdoor area.
As a result, the police dropped their objection to the later hours for drinks to be served inside Stanmer House.
Two Stanmer villagers objected to KSD’s application to amend the venue’s licence – as did Labour councillor Jackie O’Quinn, who chairs the Brighton and Hove Estates Conservation Trust.
Their objections were considered by a Brighton and Hove City Council licensing panel made up of three councillors today (Monday 17 October).
The panel was told that KSD had agreed to submit a monthly calendar of events to the council’s licensing department and the police – and to keep a noise log of neighbours’ complaints.
But a proposal by KSD to relax the licence condition requiring customers to remain seated with their drinks prompted some concern.
KSD’s solicitor Piers Warne said that the condition that banned “vertical drinking”, or customers standing while drinking, had proved hard to enforce, particularly at events when people wanted to stand around and chat while drinking.
Conservative councillor Dee Simson, who chaired the licensing panel, said that she remembered approving the licence in July last year, adding that there was flexibility so that customers could buy drinks at the bar.
She said: “Why do you feel that completely removing this condition will satisfy the licensing objectives? I can understand for booked events but by removing that on a day-to-day basis in the café, what is your thinking?”
She was concerned that if the condition was removed, it could result in Stanmer House becoming a “stand up” drinking venue like a traditional pub.
Mr Warne said that there would be no “harm” in allowing people to stand with their drinks because Stanmer House was not like a city centre venue but one geared to events.
He said: “When the venue operates as a restaurant and café up to 11pm anyway, people may want to stand up with their drink if they meet someone they haven’t seen for a while.
“Removing a condition entirely isn’t about the main times when you want it to happen.
“It would work well if it was saved for pre-booked events but that doesn’t account for hosting a Christmas party for residents of Stanmer Village, where people would want to stand up with a drink.
“Is there any harm in doing it when there aren’t any pre-booked events, given there is a hard stop of 11pm?”
He said that Stanmer House was not operating in the same way as it did when the previous tenant, a business owned by the Brighton-born impresario Alex Proud, went bust last year.
Independent councillor Anne Pissaridou welcomed the condition requiring two meetings a year with residents but felt that many would find public gatherings “intimidating”.
She asked that KSD work more in liaison with residents before any issues “blew up”.
Mr Warne said that Stanmer House hosted monthly events for residents and welcomed feedback any time.
The panel, which also included Independent councillor Kate Knight, retired to reach its decision which should be made public within five working days.
