Southsea eatery can now serve drinks for longer

A SOUTHSEA restaurant can now serve alcohol for longer following concerns its 10pm limit was harming the business.

Marmion House, on the corner of Marmion Road and Victoria Road, can now open from 10am until 10.30pm Sunday to Thursday and until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

A Portsmouth City Council licensing sub-committee agreed on Monday to grant the licence extension, despite an objection from the owner of a flat above the restaurant who said the change would disturb people living in the area.

‘ Any licence extension is just going to cause additional disturbance to what is a residential area,’ Helen Fage said. ‘Functions and live music would also not be appropriate for this area either and [would] have a negative impact on my right to a peaceful existence.’

Restaurant owners Jasmine Ryan and Craig Emery had originally requested a longer extension to the licence but reduced it following discussions with council licensing officers.

Speaking at yesterday ’s meeting, they said a later closing time would bring financial benefits and help it keep its staff employed.

‘ As a small business, having felt the effects of Covid, we need to make some money and the only way we can do that is to turn our tables,’ Ms Ryan said. 'Our last orders are at 10pm on a Saturday and it’ s probably the biggest complaint we get.

‘ We have a really nice clientele - a lot older. They don 't want to go out clubbing afterwards, they just want to sit and have a bottle of wine.’

Mr Emery said the extra hour would allow the restaurant tobookasecondround of evening customers.

This position was backed by councillors, who said the absence of any concerns being raised by any other body meant it was unlikely the change would have a detrimental impact on the area.

‘The sub-committee has taken into account the fact that no representations received from the police or environmental health and therefore, the inference being that the professional position is that the proposal is not considered likely to undermine the licencing objectives,’ its chairman Scott Payter-Harris said.