Fears of crime and anti-social behaviour if city park’s bistro has alcohol licence approved
CRIME, disorder and public urination are among the fears of a local group of volunteers who are opposing plans for booze sales in a Coventry park.
A new bistro and ice cream parlour set to open in War Memorial Park have applied for alcohol licences so punters can buy drinks in their opening hours between 11am and 8pm.
Coventry City Council officers recommend that the application is approved at a hearing of the Licensing and Regulatory Sub-committee.
But in a strongly-worded objection the Friends of War Memorial Park state several reasons why the licences should not be granted.
One is that park toilets close at 4.30pm yet the bistro and ice cream parlour which would stay open for three hours after this - have no facilities for customers to use.
“In these circumstances how will the applicants prevent the occurrence of public nuisance through urination and defecation within the park in the evenings?” the Friends write. “How will the applicants ensure that alcoholic beverages are not taken into the public toilets, and who, from the applicants, will be monitoring the public toilets for anti-social behaviour during licensing hours?”
The group also fears that drinking on the premises could lead to anti-social behaviour outside the bistro and ice cream parlours’ bounds. They continues: “It has to be recognised that these premises are situated in the middle of a major public park, used by all sections of the community throughout the day and evening.
“How can the location be deemed
appropriate when persons are able to leave the premises under the influence of alcohol in the immediate presence of people of all ages, including young people and children? How can anti-social behaviour be avoided?
“The applicants proposed ‘customer dispersal policy’ will only decant their problems into the park!”
The Friends also claim that it could put council officers in an “impossible position” due to a by-law against drinking alcohol in War Memorial Park. In the application for the licence, both outlets state how they would crack down on anti-social behaviour. Staff are set to be given training to deal with difficult situations including “zero tolerance towards unacceptable behaviour,” booze won’t be served in glasses and a barrier will be put around the seating. CCTV of the outlets will be monitored by the council and passed to police if asked for.
A report by a council officer recommends that the licence be granted “as requested”.
“The reason for this recommendation is that the applicant has voluntarily updated and adjusted the application and operating schedule following discussion with Police and Environmental Protection,” it states.
“The Responsible Authorities who responded to the Consultation have not offered up further conditions because they consider the application to be suitably conditioned by the applicant for the type of business model and operation intended at the premise and if problems do occur then the Review procedure is available to both Responsible Authorities and any other persons.”
How can the location be deemed appropriate when persons are able to leave the premises under the influence of alcohol in the immediate presence of people of all ages