A row over late night licences for pubs and bars in the Old City in Bristol will be discussed by councillors after thousands of people signed a petition set up by a furious landlord.
Marc Griffiths, who runs two pubs in the historic part of Bristol city centre, wants councillors to tell officers to think again about a clampdown on customers drinking on tables and chairs in the street after 11pm.
Bristol City Council said officers had reminded landlords that their licences meant they couldn’t have pavement tables and chairs occupied after 11pm, and said they did so because there had been a number of complaints.
Read next: Fury as Bristol council begins process to turn outdoor dining space back to parking bays
Last month, Bristol Live told how Mr Griffiths’ two pubs, the Mothers Ruin and The Crown were affected, along with a number of other bars and pubs in St Nicholas Street, Corn Street and down to King Street.
He then launched a petition on the council’s website and needed 3,500 signatures to get the issue debated by the full council meeting - within just a few weeks, almost 6,000 people have signed.
Mr Griffiths explained that, before the Covid pandemic, a pub in the Old City with tables and chairs outside and didn’t need a licence at all. They were brought in to regulate the practice all over Bristol, as part of a move to allow pubs to get back to full trading, with Covid restrictions encouraging people to socialise outdoors rather than inside less well-ventilated pubs.
Mr Griffiths and Bristol City Council have a different version of events - the landlord said the first licences matched the opening hours of each pub, but the council say licences issued for pavement drinking always had an 11pm cut off time, and now with complaints, the council are merely reminding landlords of that time.
Mr Griffiths’ petition calls for a more lenient approach, and for the council to back pubs to be able to open outside later. “Imagine a summer night, a cool drink in hand, and nowhere to sit,” he wrote.
“Outdoor seating has helped Bristol nightlife thrive - and Bristol City Council want to take this away. This means businesses have to move people off seats and bring all their furniture inside; getting in the way of customers inside, and potentially dangerously overcrowding their pubs.
“Bristol City Council originally celebrated pavement licenses [sic]. It was plastered on tourist billboards, touted as a new future of Bristol. Now they’re wielding an open attack against it - going back against their word, trying to hide and shun the nightlife community.
“Shutting down our pavement license would not just shrink the currently expanding Mother’s Ruin, setting it back at least 600K in annual turn over, but would shut down a lively and exciting part of Bristol’s nightlife scene which people enjoy so much. Hitting independent venues the hardest, And it’s not just us - it’s the entirety of the Old City, reaching as far as King Street, an area known for their beautiful outside seating next to the waterfront
“The real question is - why change anything now? How will it benefit Bristol by taking pavement licenses away from local businesses? If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Even better; if it’s thriving, don’t stop it! Curfews risk changing police focus to dealing with public order offences as a result of kick outs. Taking away pavement licenses is a huge mistake which will hinder the local economy and irreparably damage nightlife and its cultural community in Bristol,” he added.
When Mr Griffiths first raised the issue, a spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “Following noise complaints by residents in the Old City associated with late night drinking on the tables and chairs covered by these pavement licences, council officers have contacted businesses to remind them of the conditions they signed up to when they applied for outdoor seating/pavement licences at their venues.”
Bristol City Council’s nighttime economy advisor, Carly Heath, said she wanted the council to work with the landlords to sort out the issue. “Old City is a vital part of our nighttime economy and licensing is an important way of balancing the needs of businesses and those who live in the area. If licensees feel the conditions of the licences they applied for could do with being reviewed I’d welcome the chance to speak to licensed premises on this matter," she said.
Read more:
- Council begins curfew crackdown on pubs' outdoor spaces
- Love Saves the Day: Everything you need to know ahead of festival
- Eurovision 2023: All the places you can watch the final in Bristol
- 2023 will be the year of Lovejoy - catch them now and say you were there
- Tokyo World 2023 firms up line-up for big return including Pendulum, Rudimental and Faithless
- Lewis Capaldi's intimate Bristol gig sells out in minutes
Sign up for our What's On in Bristol newsletter packed with essential stories to help you make the most of living in the city.
