Neighbours said that they were worried about anti-social behaviour and children being in a bar during a licensing panel hearing for a social club today (Tuesday 22 September).
The hearing was held to deal after the Valley Social Club, in Whitehawk Way, Brighton, applied to Brighton and Hove City Council for a club premises certificate.
The application was to allow the sale of drink from 6pm to 11pm from Monday to Saturday and from noon to 6pm on Sundays.
The three councillors on the panel – Andrei Czolak, Julie Cattell and Paul Nann – were told that the club premises certificate would restrict the sale of alcohol to members and their guests.
Neighbour Adam Duggan was one of the six objectors to the application – and three of them were present for the panel hearing.
Mr Duggan said: “We’ve had weeks when there’s been police, ambulance and fire brigade all out dealing with vulnerable residents.
“We’ve had armed police in the road twice. We’ve had people’s housing raided for drug dealing. A child fell out of a second-storey window. There’s a community that’s suffered quite a lot in recent years.”
Mr Duggan said that he wondered whether these issues were considered and whether the police were consulted about the potential effects on victims of anti-social behaviour.
Councillor Czolak, who chaired the hearing, said that the police were always consulted and, before the panel hearing, had proposed draft conditions to apply in the event that the application was approved.
The vicar of neighbouring St Cuthman’s Church, the Reverend Emily Roe, asked for her views to be considered as a neighbour and mother of three as she was concerned about the possibility of disrupted sleep on children living near by.
She said: “This is a residential area with children living on almost every side of the building apart from the side joining the church.
“I believe the panel should consider the potential impact of the proposed licensed activity on children living in homes immediately surrounding the community centre.”
Another neighbour, mother-of-two Manfeng Pang, was concerned about the number of people at the venue, because the application said that there might be the occasional disco.
She said: “Managing 10 people, members and guests, is very different from managing 100 people.
“People leaving the venue, the kind of noise … there’s possible anti-social behaviour. How are we going to manage them and what safeguarding has been considered?”
Valley Social Centre trustee Alan Barnett said that visitors would be able to attend the club twice and, after that, would need to join if they wanted to attend again.
Mr Barnett said that the plans were for a friendly, community members club with strict rules preventing anti-social behaviour. Social event plans included a potential monthly disco and karaoke.
He said: “I was a member 30 years ago. I just played darts there. I don’t remember very many incidents of anti-social behaviour.
“There’s anti-social behaviour all around Whitehawk so we can’t govern when they leave the club but we will have plenty of ‘respect your neighbours’ signs up and there’ll be no under-age drinking.”
Mr Barnett said that the club would not be open seven days a week but would have a men’s darts club on Tuesday evenings, potentially a women’s darts club and would otherwise open on Friday and Saturday evenings and on Sunday afternoons.
One of the draft conditions that raised a concern was requiring children aged 10 and under to leave before 9pm.
Councillor Nann said that he found the idea of 11-year-olds in the venue late into the evening “distasteful”.
Mr Barnett said that he would not oppose the panel’s proposal to restrict the venue to over 15s with an adult member after 8pm.
Another proposal was to stop the sale of alcohol at 9.30pm and to require all members to have left the venue by 10.30pm.
The panel retired to make its decision which should be made public within five working days.
“Councillor Nann said that he found the idea of 11-year-olds in the venue late into the evening distasteful”. Good grief, you find young people socialising with their friends and parents in a social club distasteful – how old fashioned are you? Are you really fit to serve on a licensing panel?
You have kids running around feral until all hours with little to no family involvement and a social club is what you’re worried about!!! How about working with the club to introduce alcohol free events for young people – give them something to do.