Desperate South West Londoners have begged for the reopening of their local pub, after its licence expired, describing it as a ‘lifeline’ for the community.
One neighbour of The World’s End, Hampton, said recent weeks had been ‘miserable’ with the pub closed.
An application from the pub’s landlord for a new premises licence at the venue, on Station Road, is set to be decided by Richmond Council’s licensing committee next week.
A council report said the pub was licensed but the licensee company “went into administration and the licence lapsed”.
The licence had not been transferred into the new landlord’s name, the report added, “within the statutory time frame so the applicant has been required to apply for a new premises licence”.
A total of 14 letters of support for the pub have been sent ahead of the hearing on Monday, June 5.
One neighbour said she almost became a recluse after her daughter’s father died three years ago, but found a support network at the pub with new friends who made her “feel so welcome”.
She said the pub has a “strong community vibe and it is currently being sorely missed”.
The local wrote: “It has encouraged lots of other local mothers to use it as a meeting point. As everyone is aware of just how friendly and kind everyone is there.”
She does not “hear a peep from the pub unless it’s an event night”, she added, “and when that happens it’s closed at a reasonable time with plenty of prior notice and the pubgoers are ushered along the road and away”.
Another neighbour said the pub has become her “second home” to meet friends, and punters “desperately need” it back. Granting the licence, she said, would “put an end to the miserable weeks that these have been for us all” with it closed.
She added: “Trouble and nuisance caused by the establishment, which is managed to the highest level of professionalism and integrity, is non-existent”.
A third supporter said the pub is a cross between a “community centre and a traditional local pub”. He said: “I don’t think any of us locals realised how important it was for our daily lives until it closed three weeks ago.”
Another punter said the pub is a “lifeline to myself and many others of all ages”.
A further resident, who has lived in Hampton for 42 years, visiting the pub for more than 25, described the venue as “lovely”. He commented: “It is part of the local community where many people frequent and socialise on a daily and weekly basis with both family and friends.”
But four objections to the application, which originally applied to sell booze as late as 11.30pm, were also sent to the council.
One objector said residents on nearby Warfield Road had “serious concerns”. She said residents had previously “suffered from excessive noise in the evenings” due to music in the beer garden which has “kept people awake”.
She added: “To extend the hours would put an intolerable burden on the residents, especially during the summer months. There has also been bad behaviour late at night from people leaving the pub.”
Another local asked for the pub to close at 11pm “in line with other businesses in the vicinity and the fact that this is a quiet, residential area with many families with young children”.
He raised concerns about previous anti-social behaviour in the beer garden, including “loud swearing”, “banging against the fences shared with the neighbours” and “the throwing of objects over the fences into neighbouring gardens”.
In a letter addressing the objections, a licensing consultant representing the pub said 19 conditions had been agreed with the Metropolitan Police, with a further five proposed, in response to concerns.
This includes cutting the hours booze would be sold to 11am to 11pm on Mondays to Saturdays, and 12pm to 10.30pm on Sundays. The application also requests the same hours for the playing of music at the pub. It would close at 11.30pm on Mondays to Saturdays, and 10.30pm on Sundays.
Proposed conditions to provide “further reassurance that the premises will be managed properly”, the letter said, include the licence holder operating the business “with general consideration in respect of the surrounding areas, neighbours and businesses”.
Signs “requesting patrons leave quietly and with consideration for neighbours in the vicinity” would be displayed at exits, the letter continued. Another condition said no noise or vibration would “emanate from the premises so as to cause a nuisance to residents and neighbours”.
The letter added: “The responsible authorities are satisfied with the contents of this application as it stands, else they would have made representations themselves.
“I am sure that in their professional opinion adherence to these conditions will promote the licensing objectives and will not undermine them. The inclusion of these additional conditions will most likely further reinforce their position.”
The licensing hearing on the application was due to take place on Monday June 5, with a decision published in the following days.
