A café in the centre of Brighton has applied for longer licensing hours less than six months after it opened.
Blossoms, in Brighton Square, has a licence to sell alcohol from 10am to 10pm but wants to be able to keep serving drinks until 11.30pm.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s licensing team and Sussex Police have lodged objections so a panel of three councillors will meet on Thursday (9 November) to decide whether to grant the application.
Blossoms director Fahad Al-Hasan, 32, said that he wanted to extend the hours to improve the wider area’s economy after speaking with other business owners in the square and neighbouring Hanningtons Lane.
The business, which opened in May, serves Japanese small plate dishes known as izakaya and currently operates with a café licence. This requires “substantial food” to be available during opening hours to customers seated at tables.
But the café is in the busy heart of Brighton where the council restricts licences for new bars, pubs, night clubs and late-night takeaways. The rules are more relaxed for food-led venues such as cafés and restaurants.
Council policy usually permits new café licences until 10pm although customers do not have to order food while new restaurant licences usually run until midnight – and customers must order food with alcohol.
Mr Al-Hasan said: “While analysing other venues in the square and neighbouring streets, it seems there is a precedent for Blossoms to apply for an extension of its licence.
“Blossoms appreciates and understands that the majority of these venues hold historical licences that have been carried through over the years, although some venues have been granted them more recently, and I believe it only seems fair for Blossoms to apply for an extension to align with those around the area.
“To the best of my knowledge, an example of this is Coppa Club, located next door to Blossoms.
“Several other driving factors to extend the venue hours include customer feedback from patrons both dining and drinking, commenting on the fact that some other venues with a slightly less pristine nature and feel have the right to trade longer, where they would feel more relaxed and safer dining and drinking at Blossoms while still being within their budget.”
Sussex Police acting licensing inspector Mark Redbourn said that Blossoms’ licence was issued on Tuesday 31 January after a month-long consultation with Mr Al-Hasan’s solicitor, resulting in the café-style conditions.
He is concerned that longer hours would add to the “existing cumulative impact” of alcohol-related crime in the area.
From Thursday 5 January to Thursday 5 October this year, there were 258 violent crimes, 347 thefts and 72 incidents of criminal damage within a radius of about 800ft or 240m.
The premises is in the Regency electoral ward which, police said, had the worst figures in Brighton and Hove for violent crime and sexual offences and the second worst for drink-related incidents.
Acting Inspector Redbourn said: “We feel as the evening goes on, more people would be attending to consume alcohol on its own, resulting in the venue operating more as a bar.
“The night-time economy within Brighton and Hove can, at times, be challenging for all the emergency services.
“Within Brighton and Hove, we are unique in that we have a high number of licensed venues, all of which are in very close proximity to each other, and this includes within Brighton Square itself.”
The council licensing team objection to the application on policy grounds and said that the venue was found to have breached its licensing conditions during a routine check.
Licensing officer Donna Lynsdale said that the menu offered spirits by 50ml measure with 25ml “available on request” when the licence conditions required 25ml and 35ml measures.
During the check visit, customers were seen with just a drinks menu even though substantial food must be available at all times.
Staff said that the customers in question were offered the food menu and declined. Ms Lynsdale said that the menu could have been left with them.
CCTV recordings were stored for 30 days rather than 31 days and the time was one hour out. The licensing department had not been informed that the system was not working correctly.
The council licensing panel hearing is due to start at 10am on Thursday (9 November). It is expected to meet virtually and the meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
Booze booze and more booze, about time there were more controls instead of licences and extensions. Pubs, Cafes, Kiosks, Fuel Stations and probably more, does the whole Nation actually need to get P****D all at the same time 24hrs a day ???? Try getting control of smoking in public areas in particular Pubs in Worthing, shopping Arcades and most public entrances, even vapes on buses. 17 years since the ban and you can still smell the stink,, also in some Taxis, never ending stink. Booze and Smokes, in particular vapes should only be sold through Legalised Outlets, this Countries performance around these products is exactly why there needs to be some control, long overdue clean up should be put in place to give the population some breathing space and freedom from the drunks DAILY wandering our streets
You want more controls but not licenses?
What do you think a license is?
It’s a control on a business on how it operates!
A business that breaches it’s license can suffer sanctions.
As to what happens in Worthing perhaps you should make a complaint to Worthing Council about the pubs flouting the smoking ban for them to investigate.
“Suffer sanctions “……sounds scary!! I don’t think they will be loosing sleep over that one.
They just want to line their pockets and couldn’t give a damn about anything else.
Sanctions can include having the licence revoked so you can’t operate your business or having hours reduced or needing door staff for certain hours.
That scary enough for you?
Clearly, Roger has never lost a licence or a business. But I suppose he’s entitled to his opinion, objectively ignorant that it is, unfortunately.
You’re right I’ve never lost a business, far too smart for that!!! I’ve created a few though.
I wonder what your story is?
Met plenty of people who lost out because of bad luck. Pandemic took a lot of businesses. Nothing to do with one’s acumen. Not wishing ill will, but try to remember there’s more than your personal hill, yeah?
Izakaya is synonymous with pub.
Sounds great. Looking forward to going
The biggest thing the brighton licence committee could do is stop chasing down bars and pubs and shut down all the off licences on north Street. What’s where the drunks who make trouble are to be found.
There’s other more prominent reasons why.