A Hove restaurant owner said that she had assured neighbours that none of her customers would drink outside the venue after some objected to an application for an alcohol licence.
Amber Sterck, 31, who runs a company called Martin and Pine, is in the process of taking over the former antiques shop, Three Angels, in Hove Street.
She is turning it into a restaurant, bakery and coffee shop, called Capellini, with 70 covers including 40 to 45 in the restaurant section at the back of the building.
She applied for a licence to serve alcohol from 11am to 10pm from Monday to Friday, from 10am to 10pm on Saturdays and from 10am to 6pm on Sundays.
At a Brighton and Hove City Council licensing panel hearing yesterday (Thursday 28 September), Labour councillor Emma Daniel asked if the pavement area outside the venue would be included in the licence.
Her question reflected a concern raised by one of the objectors about noise from outside the premises.
Ms Sterck said that the application was for drink sales within the premises and she had no plans for tables outside.
Council lawyer Rebecca Sidell said that the business would have to apply for a variation to the licence if it wanted to set up tables outside in the future.
Ms Sterck told the licensing panel, made up of three councillors, that she had met neighbours who submitted objections to the application to address concerns about noise nuisance.
She said: “We are looking to have a very quiet ambient place where locals can gather to eat food and grab a coffee.
“There will be no outdoor drinking. I currently believe the property doesn’t have a licence to have anything outside anyway. It’s going to be a very civilised place.”
Sussex Police agreed draft licence conditions with Ms Sterck before the panel hearing.
As part of the proposed conditions, customers would not be allowed to stand and drink. Any customer wanting alcohol would have to be served while sitting at a table and eating a main meal.
The three councillors on the panel – Emma Daniel, Paul Nann and Tobias Sheard – retired to make a decision which should be made public within five working days.
Oh no. Poor neighbours
FEAR
Ugh, it’s a coffee shop, not a pub. Not everywhere has to have the option of alcohol.
It is literally right next door to another restaurant with an Alcohol licence (Ginger Pig).The neighbours are wild for kicking up a fuss
That shoots the noise concerns down a fair bit doesn’t it?