This is why Scarborough Council refused an alcohol licence to proposed Falsgrave wine bar

Following a hearing at Scarborough Spa today, Scarborough Council’s licensing sub-committee denied the premises licence for J N Corner Property Ltd for the vacant William Hill unit at 1-5 Falsgrave Road.

The proposed bar, now called Zazu’s Lounge after provisionally being termed Ont Corner, wanted to open seven days a week from 10am until 11pm.

The hearing was required after seven objections were received following a public consultation, with the complaints centring around fears that the bar would bring noise, disruption and an increase in anti-social behaviour to the area.

Despite the applicants saying that they wanted to work with neighbours and offering a number of conditions to address noise concerns, councillors denied the application, saying they were worried that the bar would add to existing issues due to the number of licensed premises in Falsgrave Road.

Zazu’s Lounge falls within Scarborough’s Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ) which states that new bars and pubs will not be allowed to open unless the applicants can prove to the council that it would not cause problems for residents and the police.

Committee chairman Cllr Stewart Campbell said when announcing the decision that the councillors did not feel that the bar had convinced them that would be the case.

Cllr Campbell said there were also concerns about missing information within the application, including a full noise assessment, and what type of bar it would be.

He said: “The premises are described in the application as a wine bar and people have made representations on that basis.

“We have today been informed that the premises will have six [draught] lines and draught lager will be served and other drinks, including gin are also proposed to be offered.

“The [objectors] describe the concentration of premises in the area and issues relating to anti-social behaviour. We are therefore concerned about the prevention of crime and disorder licensing objectives.

“We note that the police have not objected but we cannot be certain they were aware of the plans to sell draught lager as set out today.”

Jenna Redmond, one of the applicants along with Naomi Jamieson, had earlier told the councillors that they wanted their bar to offer “something different” from what was available in Scarborough.

She said the idea had come to them during the lockdown, adding: “We were thinking about where we would want to go and have a nice drink… to have a nice gin or a glass of wine and a cheeseboard and there was nothing like that in Scarborough so we would have to go to York.”

She said it would be a “relaxed-style wine bar” with no “booming music or Sky Sports” that would also offer cold food such as cheeseboards and cold meat platters.

One objector, who owns a neighbouring business, told councillors that they feared noise and disruption if the bar was granted a licence, especially from people sitting outside the premises.

During the hearing the applicants had agreed to reduce the number of tables outside from five to three.

The applicants have the right to appeal the committee’s decision or to submit a new application.