Brighton bar pushes for 4am closing at weekends

A bar has applied to stay open until 4am at weekends in the centre of Brighton but Sussex Police and the council objected because the area was a “focal point” for crime.

Revolution, in West Street, is currently able to close at 3am every day. Its licence to serve drink runs until 2.30am and, if its application succeeds, would run until 3.30am at weekends.

Claire Abdelkader, from the Sussex Police licensing unit, told a Brighton and Hove City Council licensing panel today (Tuesday 7 October) that later hours would breach licensing policy.

She told the hearing that the policy recognised that the area was already saturated with late-night businesses including those selling alcohol, with drink-related crime posing a challenge, especially at weekends.

Police fear that later hours would mean more people under the influence of drink or drugs staying in the area at that time of the morning.

Ms Abdelkader recognised that the applicant, Inventive Service Company Limited, which owns Revolution under the Revel Collective banner, had stayed open later than usual by serving temporary event notices (TENs).

It had done so 23 times since last October, when Pryzm, the night club across the road, was closed because of safety issues with the Kingswest building which includes the Odeon cinema.

But Ms Abdelkader said that the police had made it that clear the extensions should be regarded as temporary to make up for the loss of a venue with a capacity of more than 2,000 customers.

The licensing panel heard that Pryzm closed at 4am at weekends, as did nearby Molly Malones and No 32 in Duke Street.

If Revolution was granted a later licence, it would result in four venues closing at the same time when crime often already reached a peak.

Ms Abdelkader said: “West Street suffers from high levels of crime and disorder and is a focal point for the police’s Operation Marble patrols.

“If additional hours are granted in this area, it’s highly likely to increase the risk of crime and disorder, anti-social behaviour and public nuisance in an area that already has a high number of existing licensed premises.”

The hearing was told that the police had dealt with more than 9,000 incidents over the past year in a relatively small area that included West Street, North Street and East Street.

Nearly half of those incidents were recorded crimes, predominantly theft, violence and public order offences.

The hearing was told that crimes peaked in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday, with 12 per cent of the week’s crime happening in the eight hours from midnight to 4am on the two days. At weekends, almost half the crimes involved violence.

The council licensing team said that the application would go against current policy and could affect levels of crime and public nuisance.

Rebecca Lowe, of Kuits Solicitors, for the Revel Collective, said that the application was for a modest extension of two hours a week – or three for a bank holiday weekend.

Revolution proposed stronger draft conditions on its licence, should its application be granted, including a minimum of two door staff wearing bodycams and using an ID scanning system from 9pm on Friday and Saturdays.

Ms Lowe said: “Neither (the police or council) representation raise any specific concerns in terms of the premises itself, how it operates, what it’s doing now, how it’s run.

“And I would reiterate that in itself is exceptional, particularly because it’s a challenging area in respect of crime and disorder.

“It is one in which you would not be surprised to hear that premises coming to you seeking additional hours might find themselves on the authority’s radar, specifically, in terms of the way that it trades or incidents that have happened.”

She said that having door staff on duty for an extra hour would be positive for West Street and for a more gradual dispersal of customers leaving between 3am and 4am.

The panel of three councillors – Julie Cattell, Steve Davis and Sam Parrott – retired to make their decision which should be made public within five working days.