A beachside café on Shanklin seafront has been met by a wall of opposition over its plans to start selling alcohol.
The Lazy Wave Café on Shanklin Esplanade asked the Isle of Wight Council for permission to have a licence, which would allow it to serve alcoholic drinks from 10:00 to 21:00, 7 days a week.
12 neighbours have objected to the application as they say it will cause an increase in noise disturbance and the potential for anti-social behaviour.
The Isle of Wight Council’s licensing sub-committee will meet next Friday (18th August) to determine whether the alcohol licence is something the Lazy Wave Café should hold.
1 resident said the café was at the ‘quiet’ end of Shanklin Esplanade but if the licence was agreed it was bound to increase noise and general nuisance levels. Another said the additional opening hours would be ‘intolerable and unacceptable’ and they ‘did not wish to have their idyllic retirement home interrupted by unnecessary change and disturbances’.
Responding to the objections, the applicant, Rae Rawlins, told council officers it was ‘disappointing’ some may feel that way but understood concerns and was always mindful of potential disturbance to residents. She said they would not be a bar or pub solely selling alcohol but are looking to sell drinks to people on a nice day.
90% of the time, Mrs Rawlins said, the café would not be open until 21:00 as it relies heavily on the weather and only asks to stay open late to cover good summer evenings or events.
Environmental Health officers said they were unaware of any formal nuisance complaints made about the café since Mrs Rawlins took over.
The officers also said while the café is near residential properties, the hours of activity proposed were considered reasonable and they had ‘no pressing concerns’ the licence would undermine the prevention of public nuisance or safety. Conditions have been agreed with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, should the licence be granted, to reduce the risk of public nuisance, which includes installing CCTV, staff training, enforcing a Challenge 25 policy and serving drinks in paper, plastic or polycarbonate containers.
“did not wish to have their idyllic retirement home interrupted by unnecessary change and disturbances” – oh poor petal!
I think it would be great to have more bars and restaurants by the sea as it would give the place more of a Mediterranean ambience (despite the current poor weather).
Yes, I’d hate to live near all those NIMBYs…
I lived in the med, by the seafront and i can tell you, that the locals are not prone to standing outside beachfront cafes getting blind drunk and being loud and obnoxious – that is all you will get in the uk and their traditional clientele of soft drinks and ice cream customers will go elsewhere in the summer
They are absolutely correct though – as soon as alcohol is served it will see a daily entourage of loud mouthed drunks outside of it, smoking away.
The island will be so quiet and empty soon enough it will CLOSE for good
Can’t expect an Isle of Wight seafront to be quiet in the summer. Neighbours should be more worried about any plans for ambience music! Drinkers always like a bit of music.
They say they will be only be open when the weather is nice. Going by this year’s weather, they won’t be open very often then.
What a ridiculous idea, there are enough pubs along the Seafront.
If he slips the local Councillor a brown envelope he will get his wishes.
The Island is run in a funny way.
The cafe opposite serves alcohol, it will bring life to the seafront like the donut hut has to the old village. It’s Obote until 9pm
See life at the donut hut, get high on sugar….
Or roll down the hill and get drunk on chap booze on the seafront…
You gotta larfff
The Cafe opposite hardly ever opens and was recently up for sale.
The Flats nearby don’t need the upheaval, they were there first.
It’s a peaceful location.
“Idyllic”? Shanklin? They haven’t travelled far then XD