A popular park café has applied for a drinks licence and a handful of neighbours have lodged formal objections.
As a result, the application by Hove Park Community Café will be decided by a panel of councillors at a hearing next Thursday (23 November).
HPCC Limited, owned by Gino Fox, 63, and Judy Fox, 50, has applied to sell alcohol from noon to 10pm daily at the café in Hove Park.
Neither Sussex Police nor Brighton and Hove City Council’s licensing team raised any objections to the application.
HPCC said that five security cameras would cover all the public areas at the café which is in the old tennis pavilion.
The café said that it would keep an incident log on the premises and all staff would be trained in emergency procedures.
The application also said that substantial food would always be available when the café was open.
But neighbours were worried about the small size of the building, its security and the 6pm closing time for the nearby public toilets.
One anonymous neighbour, whose details were redacted by the council, said: “The café is located very close to a residential area.”
The objector said that the extended opening hours that would follow the granting of the licence would inevitably mean more noise and disturbance.
This would include noise when people left at the later proposed closing time and the noise from bottles.
The objector asked: “Will there be additional lighting for safety reasons for the later opening?”
Another, whose details were also redacted, said: “The café is very family-oriented at the moment and seems to have regained its clientèle since the restrictions of covid were lifted, usually being packed except in the worst of weather when even then it has some customers.
“None of the folks I have used it with, or in my wider circle of acquaintances, have ever raised the issue of wanting an alcoholic drink while using the café.
“This is a reflection of the whole park being very family-centred.”
The virtual licensing panel hearing is due to start at 10am next Thursday (23 November) and is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
Some people object to anything, be a great place to have a drink with bite to eat. Lex’s cafe on Hove seafront now seves alcohol and i have never seen any trouble. They are not open late so no problem.
Only time will tell if we’ll see drunks causing trouble. I hope not, as the park is a wonderful place for families to hang out.
Why licensed until 10pm when the website shows the cafe’s closing times as 3 or 4pm? “Substantial food would always be available when the cafe is open”, is the bar separate or is the cafe going to be open much longer than now? I know that area isn’t packed out with licensed premises, unlike other parts of Brighton and Hove, but do we really need any more?
Lovely spot for a pint. Hope they get it