Licensing Panel decision – Bamboodle, Stratford-upon-Avon

Bamboodle in Stratford-upon-Avon has had its licence revoked by Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Licensing Committee following noise and numerous other complaints.

Members of Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Licensing Panel met on Thursday 2 March and decided to revoke the premises licence following a review of the licence towards the end of last year.

The premises review* followed a visit by Environmental Health and Licensing officers working together from the District Council on 17 December, following complaints from local residents concerning amplified music and people noise, together with general disturbances and anti-social behaviour in Union Street.

On this visit the officers found a number of licensing conditions being breached; these included door staff not knowing how many people were inside the building; people obstructing the outside pavement and spilling onto the road stopping vehicles making their way down Union Street and excessive noise coming from the building.

There was a history of non-co-operation and a breach of a large number of licence conditions at the venue including a number of unauthorised licensable activities.  The owner and manager of Bamboodle made no effort to promote the licensing objectives, there was a disregard for the safety of the patrons, a failure to provide suitable and appropriate documentation when requested and there was also little regard for the impact the bar had on those living close by.

There were also numerous reports of public order offences during 2016 from a range of sources including the Street Marshals.

Cllr Susan Adams, Licensing Panel Chair says: “This decision sends a clear message that the Council will take action against any premises breaching the terms of its licence.

“We have a duty to ensure that licensed premises in Stratford District are managed responsibly and we will not hesitate in revoking a licence where there is clear evidence of breaches.  Licensing conditions are in place to prevent crime and disorder and to promote public safety and prevent public nuisance. We hope this revocation sends a clear message to traders who do not comply with licensing conditions and to the public that we take our role as a Responsible Authority seriously.

“The District Council and the police work hard to assist businesses to improve their performance and comply with licensing regulations. But there comes a point where we must put the wellbeing of the wider community first and take tougher measures to protect them against persistent anti-social behavior. The number of noise complaints against this business, as well as other breaches, meant there was no option other than to revoke the licence." 

“The vast majority of our businesses fully comply with licensing laws and we support responsible local businesses as much as we can – they are crucial to the success of our local economy."

Background information

Bamboodle is at 7-9 Union Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6QT

*On the 6 January, Stratford-on-Avon District Council, as the Licensing Authority, received an application from Paul Reid, Environmental Protection Officer at the District Council to review the Premises Licence for the Bamboodle, Stratford.

This was on the grounds that the premises failed to meet the licensing objectives of public nuisance of excessive noise as there was no noise limiter installed at the premises and that access doors to the premises were left open; public safety on the grounds of unknown number of patrons tightly packed into the premises and those queuing outside creating an obstruction to the footpath and highway.

Three other responsible authorities – The District Council's Licensing team, Warwickshire Police and Warwickshire Fire and Rescue and a total of five local residents made representation in support of the review, a number of whom attended the hearing and addressed the panel on 2 March.
 
The decision is subject to a 21 day appeal period, beginning the day of official written notification of the revocation (6 March 2017), in which time the venue can continue to trade under their existing premises license.