To Whom it may concern,
I have made an application to extend the licences hours to sell alcohol on and off premises, plus extend our area to incorporate our pavement area, plus some additional room in the garden. We have been notified of an objection to this application. Having read the objection that has been given into the licensing authority, we would like to give the following response to the points that have been made.
We are running the bar in a manner that villagers and the police are happy with. We have received no complaints with regards to anti social behaviour, noise pollution or anything else for that matter.
There are 2 pubs in the vicinity that offer a very different atmosphere to our micro bar. One of the pubs has opening until 11pm and 10.30pm Sunday. The other has a licence until 1am. We do not have music in our garden area, and on many an occasion we have heard music (recorded and live) coming from the pub closest to us. There is also a music shop that has music lessons going on all day everyday. Therefore to regard us as a noisy bar I feel is unfair, given the surroundings.
With respect to the application for the garden to be extended, we hope to create a space that will mean people can socially distance themselves from others, should they want to in the winter months. We, by no means, want to try to squash people into the indoor space. The additional garden area will mean that we can provide overhead cover and fenced sides, much more privacy than the garden currently provides.
In the complaint, the previous tenant ------, has been mentioned. The insinuation here is that we have had an influence in his decision to leave. In fact, his intention to leave was months ago due to him relocating back to ……….where he is from. Being in the police force, he has been waiting for the transfer to be confirmed. We had a good relationship with ……, and feel that the mere mention of him is misinformed.
The shared access through the garden has never proved a problem for the tenant or us. The mention of the 'possible' beer garden makes me wonder if they are aware that the garden has been used as a beer garden since we opened?
With regards to the rentability of the flat, I am curious if the landlords have considered the fish and chip shop 2 doors down, which from approximately 4pm, starts cooking? The smell in our bar can be quite strong, however we have to accept that being on a high street, means that all manner of businesses conduct themselves very differently. This is the nature of a bustling, thriving high street.
Picking up on the point about the noisy bar and our live music. The objectors told me they rarely come to Headcorn, and had never been to the bar. They came in to see what it was like, once they had already made the complaint. I think again to refer to us as 'noisy' is misinformed. The live music that we offer, on occasion, is either a pianist, or a guitarist. No bands, no DJ's. The music is not offensive, and brings people in from the village and surrounding areas.
We live in the village, we are not here to make enemies. The bar that we have created has been so well received. We conduct ourselves in as correct a way as possible. In our application I did explain that we do not want to alter all of our opening hours. I am sure that you can appreciate that whilst finding our feet in the first application, we are now eager to give ourselves the best opportunity to keep the business in good stead. On occasion we would like to have the opportunity to open a little later.
I hope that you feel that in light of the additional information, that our application is not unreasonable. Having spoken to the police, we have been assured that we are conducting ourselves well and that Tap17 is a positive addition to the village.
Many thanks for your time,
Kelli Newman
Tap17