Eastbourne businesses seek to extend opening hours

On Thursday (June 27), an Eastbourne Borough Council licensing panel is set to consider an application seeking to extend the serving hours of Signor Panino, a wine bar and restaurant in Grove Road, and an application seeking to extend the hours of Joy Bar in Bolton Road.

Both applications are coming in front of the panel as a result of objections from local residents.

In its application, Signor Panino is seeking permission to serve alcohol from 11am to 12.30am, seven days a week. This represents a two-hour extension to its current licence, which allows alcohol sales between 11am and 10.30pm.

The application has prompted an objection from a resident, whose name is redacted in council documents, who has concerns about noise disturbance.

In their written objection, the resident said: “I live above the restaurant. The soundproofing in the whole row of shops and flats is really bad so presently I can hear the amplified music very clearly in my living room and kitchen. When the restaurant has played recorded music it has been even worse.

“My concern is that they will be turning the restaurant into a bar/club. People are less likely to come there to eat but to drink at that time of night. My impression is that they sometimes have private parties during the week as sometimes I hear crowd singing.

“Also with the outside tables people will be getting drunk outside my bedroom window, shouting and screaming and in the summer it is too hot not to have my window open.”

This resident is the sole objector to Signor Panino’s proposals, with no objections having been raised by authorities, such as Sussex Police or the council’s Environmental Protection team.

Joy Bar is seeking permission to extend its Friday and Saturday serving hours.

Currently, its licence allows it to serve alcohol from 10am until 1.30am, seven days a week (and until 2am on certain bank holidays). It is seeking permission to extend its serving hours to 3am on Friday and Saturday nights, for a 3.30am closing time.

This proposal has seen objections from two local residents, who have both raised concerns about noise disturbance from music played in the bar.An objection has also been raised by the council’s Environmental Protection team.

In a written objection, senior specialist advisor on environmental protection Temitayo Olatunji said: “Over the course of the past few months of the premises reopening, the team has received a few complaints of excessively loud noise especially from residents living on the east side of the premises.

“We have had evidence of loud and excessive noise from the bar in the past which has resulted in the serving of notices under the Antisocial, Crime and Policing Act 2014 with steps taken in response to abate noise levels but there are still areas of concern as reported by the residents within the last one month.

“From the above, there is anticipated excessive levels of noise affecting neighbours especially in the late parts of summer with increased levels of attendees to events expected. The front area and the garden hold a significant number of people with the likelihood of excessively loud noise from these gatherings.”

The advisor added: “With consideration to the above representations, the Environmental Protection team’s recommendation is that the application for the variation to the Premises Licence is refused. “

In both cases, interested parties will be able to address the panel before it makes its decision on the proposed changes.