Café applies for drinks licence

A café owner faced objections to his application for a drinks licence after Brighton and Hove City Council and a neighbour raised concerns.

Florenc Gjona, 48, wants a licence to sell alcohol from 11am to 11pm for his café Loro’s, at 66 Lewes Road, Brighton. This would be an hour later than council policy usually permits.

The café currently closes at 4pm and one concerned neighbour, Emmett Lawlor, raised concerns about the noise from the kitchen extractor fan late into the night.

But he was told that Mr Gjona did not need a licence to serve food up to 11pm at night and would be free to do so with or without a drinks licence.

Any noise complaints should be made to the council’s environmental protection team, he was told.

Draft conditions were agreed with Sussex Police before the licensing panel hearing on Monday (4 August).

They included a requirement that customers be seated and served by waiting staff and for any takeaway drinks to be served only with a substantial food order.

At the hearing, Mr Gjona’s representative, Graham Hopkins, of GT Licensing Consultants, said that a substantial food order for delivery would require a main course and side dish.

He said that it would also be limited to eight cans or bottles of beer, lager or cider or two bottles of wine for home delivery.

Mr Hopkins also offered conditions such as deploying licensed door staff on days when there was a potential security risk, such as Pride and some Brighton and Hove Albion match days.

He told the panel – councillors Julie Cattell, Ollie Sykes and Alison Thomson – that Mr Gjona has owned the café for three and a half years.

He also said that Mr Gjona was experienced, having been a door supervisor for 10 years, and he had been a licensed taxi driver in Brighton and Hove for six years.

Mr Hopkins also spoke about the effects of increased energy costs and covid on the hospitality sector, adding that the government was looking to change the rules for high street venues.

He said: “The impact on smaller independent venues has hit them as hard as it did the national chains. We are looking to improve the viability of the premises to meet the needs for customers with an alcohol licence.

“They (people) will want to go out later. They can be there until 10pm under (current council rules) but the vast majority of adults would prefer to be out until 11pm.”

The panel retired to make its decision which is due to be made public within five working days.