Neighbours do not oppose Stanmer House licensing bid
They sent a letter of support after Brighton and Hove Estates Conservation Trust objected to a licence being granted, citing concern for people living in Stanmer village.
The village residentsâ committee and stakeholdersâ forum wrote to Brighton and Hove City Council ahead of a licensing panel hearing on Friday (June 25).
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Hide AdThey said that the trust had not consulted them and did not represent their views.
At the hearing one of the trustees, Labour councillor Jackie OâQuinn, told the council licensing panel hearing that the Estates Conservation Trust was no longer opposed to a licence for Stanmer House.
But, she told panel, the trust wanted more conditions attached if a licence was granted.
The application was submitted by KSD Support Services, which leases Stanmer House from the council.
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Hide AdKSD originally applied for a drinks licence until 2am and permission to host dancing, live music and boxing and wrestling until 3am.
The original application duplicated a lapsed licence held by the previous tenant, a business run by Brighton-born impresario Alex Proud, which went bust. The venue closed last year.
After initial opposition, KSD amended its application and sought a licence to serve alcohol until 11pm.
The company has run a cafĂ© at Stanmer House since the coronavirus lockdown restrictions were lifted and has served âtemporary event noticesâ to enable it sell alcohol.
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Hide AdBut, with premises restricted to 15 âtemporary eventsâ a year, lasting for no more than 21 days in total, KSD has already used up its limit for the year.
Councillor OâQuinn told the licensing panel that the Brighton and Hove Estates Conservation Trust âsafeguardsâ the properties on the Stanmer Estate and protects the lives and wellbeing of present and future tenants.
She said: âWe feel we are in some way guardians of the park as well as looking after the village.
âWhat we are not is a residentsâ association. We just represent the interests of the people in Stanmer village, not their views.â
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Hide AdThe trust had sent a representation when the nearby One Garden applied for a licence for its shop and café.
Councillor OâQuinn said that this had not resulted in any comments from residentsâ representatives at the time.
She also said that, despite the lack of official complaints about noise, the trust was aware of people making their views known about car noise and increased traffic.
But her request for a noise limiter to be installed at Stanmer House as a licence condition was ruled unnecessary by the panelâs legal adviser because no late-night music was planned.
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Hide AdStanmer House manager Mike Youles said that the former stately home was expensive to maintain and it was vital to generate revenue to maintain it.
The proposed licence would cover the ground floor of the building, including a bar, cafĂ© and restaurant, with âsubstantial foodâ to be available at all times.
Mr Youles said: âThis is not going to be seen as just a drinking establishment but somewhere where the demographic of our customers would be middle-class people coming to eat at a restaurant and having a drink at the bar in the later hours.
âDuring the day, one of the obligations of the lease is the house needs to be available to the general public at least one day a week. And people walking their dogs in the park make use of the cafĂ©.â
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Hide AdThe trust had raised concerns about people taking their drinks into the park but Mr Youles said that there were no off-sales.
The panel retired to make its decision which is due to be made public in five working days.