A Brighton café has been granted a licence to serve alcohol in the evenings despite an objection from a neighbour.
Bread and Milk, in Trafalgar Street, can sell alcohol until 9pm daily after its licence application was approved by a Brighton and Hove City Council licensing panel.
The neighbour, whose details were redacted by the council, objected to the application because of concerns about noise and disturbance including from deliveries as early as 4am.
He also complained about benches fixed to the outside of the premises, saying that they encouraged people to loiter.
The effects of further noise would be “hugely detrimental” to his health and quality of life, he added.
At a hearing on Wednesday 7 June, Bread and Milk director Rupert Davidson, 48, and manager Ágnes Nagy agreed that no deliveries should take place before 6am. Two suppliers of bread and pastries had been asked not to deliver so early.
The company agreed to replace the benches with ones that could be put away when the premises closed.
Before the hearing, Bread and Milk agreed draft licence conditions with Sussex Police to limit alcohol sales to customers buying meals who would be seated at tables and served by waiting staff.
Trafalgar Street is in a busy area of Brighton and Hove where the council operates tougher licensing rules to reduce the risk of drink-related crime and disorder.
But the council’s policies usually permit cafés to be licensed to serve alcohol until 10pm.
The council licensing panel’s decision was published today (Monday 19 June). It said: “The panel appreciates the concerns of the local resident but also notes that Trafalgar Street is a busy main route to the station.
“It is thus difficult to attribute a disproportionate element of public nuisance to one business and this is a modest application with a closure of 9pm at the latest. The applicants have been open to further conditions.”
The licence allows the sale of drink from 11am to 9pm. Bread and Milk said that it planned to sell craft beers and wine only.
The conditions attached to the licence included no alcohol deliveries from 9pm to 7am and outdoor seating be removed each evening.
The panel noted that the bread deliveries were outside the licensing panel’s jurisdiction but asked Bread and Milk to arrange deliveries to Whitecross Street after 6am.
Oh good, let’s hope the council grants permission for Soho House’s gate and planters. It’s about time theses winging people with nothing better to do get told to shut up and go away!
Disgusting decision, alcoholic drinkers making noise will hard working people need sleep
Then move!
This is an eminently sound and reasonable decision. The nature of businesses applying for alcohol licenses must be taken into account and as a local and a regular at Bread and Milk I can confirm that Agnes and her team are lovely, thoughtful people! I feel that licensing must also acknowledge the financial pressures on businesses in this incredibly tough economy and their need to diversify to survive.
Hoping for more sensible and informed decisions like this from licensing as we build a thriving community on Trafalgar street that works WITH the locals to ensure that we can all exist in harmony.
I totally agree to the licensing they already have a good high standard and I believe that everybody who eats their will leave quietly and quickly well done on the application
So one person objected to a well run establishment serving alcohol, i bet that one person buys alcohol from the real problem that causes trouble on our streets the 24hr corner shop. Alcohol should not be sold in shops after 11pm.