Shuttered Lewes pub could reopen as Italian restaurant

A Lewes pub which closed its doors amid a licensing dispute could reopen as a restaurant, if changes are approved by a panel of district councillors.

On Friday (February 28), a licensing sub-committee of Lewes District Council met to consider the licence of the Lamb in Fisher Street, following complaints around noise and anti-social behaviour.

The panel had been expected to consider whether or not to revoke the pub’s licence, taking into consideration both the complaints from residents and concerns raised by Sussex Police around drug-taking at the premises.

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However, the hearing took an unexpected turn, as the Greene King-owned (but tenant-run) pub closed its doors on the Sunday (February 23).

Restaurant chain could take over

Speaking on behalf of Greene King, solicitor Piers Warne said the decision to close the pub had been taken “as soon as was possible” and was a result of both the review hearing and plans to sell the premises to Sussex-based restaurant chain Rustico Italiano.

According to its website it focuses on Neapolitan street food and has branches in Battle, Bexhill, Brighton, Hastings and Hove.

In light of this, Mr Warne urged the committee not to revoke the premises licence and consider altering its conditions instead, saying a revocation would be likely to prevent the sale going ahead.

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He said: “You will see we are in the process - and were in the process before the [licence] review started - of selling the bricks and mortar to a very good restauranter, who runs a small group of restaurants [known as] Rustico Italiano.

“We are in a position at the moment where we are coming up on the exchange of contracts. We can’t say they have bought it yet and frankly, if I were them, I would not be buying it unless I knew what was going to happen to the premises licence.

“But rest assured, this is as far down the line as we can be at this stage in terms of selling the premises to the restauranter.

“It is obviously integral to the business that it can sell alcohol, which is why we are here today.

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“Frankly, if we had been selling the premises for residential - and there was an offer - we would have suspended the licence, but it is integral so that Rustico Italiano can move in, fit the place up and start trading.”

New licensing conditions drawn up

The new conditions proposed by Mr Warne had been drawn up with the input of Sussex Police and included a number of measures intended to discourage drug use.

It could also include conditions preventing live and recorded music being played after 11pm, Mr Warne said.

Significantly, however, they would allow the premises to reopen as a tenanted bar, should the sale to Rustico Italiano not go ahead. 

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Were this “very unlikely” step to be taken, Mr Warne said, the company would be taking pains to avoid any tenant whose business plan included “electronic music”.

However, he also pointed out the concerns raised by residents had only begun in July and that the pub had operated without issue in the past.

Mr Warne also stressed that while Greene King was the licence holder, it had not been directly involved in the previous management of the pub, with this being the responsibility of its former leaseholder (who was not present at the hearing).

Company was unaware of anti-social behaviour complaints

Despite this he apologised to the residents on behalf of the company for the issues they had raised.

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But he said the company had been unaware of the anti-social behaviour complaints until the review began.

This was disputed by representatives of Sussex Police, however, who said they had discussed the matter with a Greene King manager at a meeting last summer.

PC Daren Buck, one of the officers involved in these meetings, criticised Greene King for this information not being passed on to its new area manager, saying he believed the company “need to take responsibility” as the licence holder.

Mr Warne said this was criticism was “unfair”, however, saying the company had not been informed of the meetings as part of the review process

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He said: “I’m sorry but that is unfair. We do take responsibility and we closed down the premises. That is taking responsibility. 

“I can’t speak for a business manager who isn’t here who went to the meeting, but maybe he felt that actually the complaints and issues raised were dealt with sufficiently.

“I think that is a very unfair assertion by the police.”

Despite this disagreement, Sussex Police did not object to alternative conditions being put in place rather than a full licence revocation.  

Residents ‘have really suffered’

Similar views were raised by ward councillor Milly Manley (Green), who had originally lodged the request for a licence review on behalf of residents. 

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Cllr Manley said she did not object to the licence conditions being altered, but asked for these new conditions to include a closing time for the garden area. 

She said: “The residents I am representing here today have really suffered, mentally and physically.

“Future of the licence need to do all they can to ensure that their neighbours live safely and happily in their homes.”

After hearing from all the parties involved, the sub-committee retired to discuss their decision in private.

No verdict has yet been made public, with the decision expected to be published on Monday.