A pop-up bar has been refused permission to open during Bristol Harbour Festival following police objections that it could cause “havoc”. Councillors also rejected a bid by the owner of two city centre off-licences to extend their alcohol sales until 4am over next weekend’s extravaganza.
Avon & Somerset Police lodged concerns because none of the three applications were part of the official management plan to ensure public safety at the event's 50th anniversary, which is expected to draw 250,000 people, Bristol City Council licensing sub-committee heard. Police licensing officer Louise Mowbray told the hearing that few details of the pop-up “take away service” in a vague location at Albion Dockside Estate, Hanover Place, had been submitted as part of the temporary event notice request from 10am to 10pm, Friday to Sunday, July 15-17.
She said: “I don’t really know what this application is, which is concerning – we just have a grid reference. It says ‘take away serving from outside the building’ – is that 40ft long trestle tables or 10ft long, what is it?
Read more: Bristol Harbour Festival returns in 2022 for 50th anniversary celebration
“What measures will they put in place to mitigate concerns? Are they having glass? Will there be a barbecue?
“I’ve had no contact from the applicants and they are not known to us. It’s a stab in the dark as to where it is, what they are doing and how they will uphold the licensing objectives, so I have real concerns about this.
“It’s something the festival organisers and the police have not planned for. They could literally cause havoc if thousands of people are milling in the area.
“Crowd flow and movement is fundamental to the safety of the event.” Councillors issued a counter-notice rejecting the application.
Earlier at the series of City Hall hearings on Thursday, July 7, the panel also refused permission for Lifestyle Express in St Augustine's Parade and City Kiosk, Broad Quay, run by husband and wife Jaykishan and Trupti Patel, to sell booze until 4am next weekend. But they partially granted an application to extend Lifestyle’s premises licence permanently from midnight until 12.30am on weekdays to match weekend hours and also allowed 24/7 deliveries of alcohol to residents’ homes via Deliveroo and Uber from the shop.
Police accepted the changes in the city centre cumulative impact area, where there is a saturation of alcohol-led licensed premises and late-night public order issues, after objecting to an original application for a 2am sales licence at the store.
Read next:
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