An Isle of Wight seafront café will be allowed to sell alcohol despite neighbours’ concerns it would cause an increase in anti-social behaviour.
12 objections had been made against The Lazy Wave Cafe’s plans to serve drinks to customers on Shanklin Esplanade from 10:00 to 21:00, seven days a week.
However, at a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s licensing sub-committee to determine the application yesterday (18th August) none of the neighbours turned up to object in person.
Mr Rawlins, on behalf of the café, said it had been completely blown out of proportion as they would still be a dessert parlour, which would like to sell alcohol, and not become a bar.
The increased income from alcohol sales would also help the café keep going, he said. In written representations, one 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’.
Mr Rawlins said:
“If there was an issue already then I could understand but we are considerate and we do take residents into account when we make improvements or change the café.”
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He also said the café would not realistically open until 9pm very often and it would only be for special event nights.
In a written statement, environmental health officers said they were unaware of any formal nuisance complaints made about the café since the Rawlins’ took over three years ago.
The officers 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. The council’s sub-committee granted the licence, subject to the conditions already discussed with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary to reduce the risk of public nuisance.
They will now be enforceable as part of the licence, meaning CCTV will be installed , staff will be given training, a Challenge 25 policy put in place and all drinks served in paper or plastic containers.
More vomit, urine and nuisances in doorways, and the whole neighbourhood disturbed by lewd language, fighting, inappropriate sexual behaviour, but the customers of the cafe will have to get used to that on their way home!
Great! I’ll make a point of going there on my next visit to good old Shanklin — which I remember best from two years of summer holiday seafront hotel work in 1961 and 1962. I promise the locals that I’ll not get too raucously inebriated! 😉
All Britain is now is a boozy nation. Downing pints and then putting the emergency services under strain. Should never have allowed pubs to stay open all day.just fuels their idiocy. It’s no longer a social event . It’s drink till you drop. Laughing stock of Europe.
This post is being voted down , but is in fact spot on. We are a boozy nation and it is decimating the resources our health service , wasting police time and making life hell for responsible people.
Many people do behave responsibly but we have too many idiots who are out of control.
The answer may lie in vetting licencees more strictly before issuing alcohol licences and removing licences from premises who sell alcohol irresponsibly.
This is a Council responsibility.
We also have a constant rise in numbers of the obese, another drain on the NHS.
Going by your logic should supermarkets and the council be held responsible?
Supermarkets should definitely be held responsible for selling cheap alcohol, and the council for not being stricter on licence numbers and licensing hours. I think you must realise that alcohol related incidents are far more taxing on the NHS and all emergency services.
Obese do people need help and support from the NHS for health issues, but they are not renowned for violence , street brawls, rowdy anti-social behaviour and driving under the influence.
To compare the two groups is frankly illogical. Many cases of obesity are medical in origin and I would think sufferers will find your comments offensive.
Objectors don’t turn up in person anymore cos it’s already been decided, and is a waste of time.
I wonder how many of the twelve objectors go to the pub near someone else’s residence.
They may do so , but perhaps they are responsible drinkers. They are not the problem, it is the boozy yobs who don’t care about the mayhem they cause. They are a minority by cause the majority of the problems.
I can only imagine that the Cafe owner slipped the Councillor a brown envelope.
I feel sorry for the residents of these once lovely peaceful apartments.
Should not have been allowed.
You have to wonder at the level of pure stupid of people buying property on Shanklin Esplanade and NOT expecting noise and people having fun.
What is the problem????
There are pub’s along the seafront already, and supermarkets not so far ,if people want alcohol they will find it ,can’t see why this cafe can’t improve their profits in this day and age , and 9 o’clock isnot exactly late !!!!!!
Nimby 12 objectors …….
Suggest the PCC deploy more of those police officer on patrol we were promised, Shanklin’s going to need them ??
why would you want to go to shanklin anyway??
I wonder how many owners will now place their flats on the market
and move to a more peaceful location.
12 with any luck.
Most of you commenting are just idiots.
Seems a bit of a sweeping generalisation of the kind usually reserved for political parties and football officials.
Here’s a game we can all play…why don’t you tell us which of the comments are from those who you don’t consider to be idiots and we’ll try to work out if you live near the cafe?
I’d like to know how many of the properties that have complained are Airbnb.