Sports bar plan for Hastings former Debenhams building
A licensing bid connected with plans to reopen part of the former Debenhams building is set to go in front of Hastings councillors.
A Hastings Borough Council licensing panel is due to consider a premises licence application on October 20, which seeks permission for a sports bar to be accessed via the vacant building’s Robertson Terrace entrance.
The application has been submitted by Thomas Cosens, a Hastings-based business man who ran the 180 Sports Bar in Albert Road until February this year.
If approved, the premises licence would permit the sale of alcohol and the showing of live and recorded sports in the building, and allow it to host indoor sporting events, including table tennis, snooker, pool, darts, shuffleboard and bowling.
The hearing has been called as a result of objections, including several from residents of Albany Court — a neighbouring apartment building.
Some have raised concerns about the bowling proposals, highlighting how the activity had been a source of friction between themselves and Owens, the building’s previous tenant.
In correspondence with the council, Scott Johnson, one of these objectors, said: “During the tenancy of Owens they had installed a four-lane bowling alley, which because it wasn’t sufficiently built with the necessary soundproofing resulted in the noise of the bowling transferring through to my flat and others in the building.
“This ran for a year on a daily basis causing residents in Albany Court a significant amount of stress and intruding on our right to enjoy peaceable living.”
Mr Johnson added: “I therefore object to the use of the bowling alley in its current state as my experience of its design and location, unless radically improved upon, will again result in the noise nuisance causing stress and upset to me and other residents.”
The council’s Environmental Health team is recommending the applicant be asked not to use the bowling alley “until an engineer’s report is submitted detailing the mitigation measures to be employed in order to avoid noise transference.”
Objectors have also highlighted concerns around the bar’s entrance being in Robertson Terrace. They say this location will cause public nuisance and encourage antisocial behaviour in the area. Some say the business would be more acceptable if it were to be accessed via Robertson Street instead.
In a report to the panel, council licensing officers note how the application is the second to be submitted in connection with the proposals.
The resubmission had been necessary, officers say, as the initial application had incorrectly listed the building’s address as Robertson Terrace, rather than its official postal address of Robertson Street.
The initial application saw 15 objections from residents, while the resubmission saw only five.
An objection has also been raised by the council’s planning department, which says the proposed licence would go against conditions attached to a planning application approved earlier this year.
According to planning officers, the conditions attached to this application means there are restricted opening hours for the premises — between 8am and 10pm Monday to Saturday and between 10am and 6pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
The licensing application seeks opening hours beyond these restrictions, up until 11pm between Tuesday and Thursday and up until 11.30pm on Friday and Saturday nights. It also seeks permission to remain open until 8pm on Sundays.
Officers say the planning conditions would also prevent the building being used as a bar, as it would not fall within a permitted use class.
In light of this, they recommend the licence not be granted until some form of planning application is submitted.
But planning obligations do not usually prevent a premises licence from being granted. Typically, a business needs to adhere to whatever is the more restrictive conditions, even if an activity is explicitly permitted under another regulatory regime.
Sussex Police has not raised an objection to the application, having agreed a set of proposed conditions with the applicant. These include the provision of CCTV and a number of management policies, such as a Challenge 25 approach.