The boss of a craft beer company based in Brighton tried to persuade councillors today (Wednesday 16 February) to grant his business a premises licence for a seafront shop.
Stephen Whitehurst, 48, spoke up after police and council licensing officials objected to an application by Free Haus Ltd to sell beer in the shadow of the i360 on Brighton seafront.
The company applied to Brighton and Hove City Council for a licence for a Brighton Bier gift shop between the i360 and the Rampion Visitor Centre, in King’s Road Arches.
Mr Whitehurst said that Brighton Bier wanted to sell craft beer gift packs and branded merchandise, including clothes, board games and puzzles, as well as to run tasting sessions.
At a council licensing panel hearing, Green councillor Lizzie Deane asked about the potential for the branded merchandise to appeal to children.
Mr Whitehurst said that Brighton Bier followed the advice of the Portman Group, a drinks trade organisation, to ensure merchandise and packaging did not look like those for soft drinks and were not attractive to children.
The shop would sell Brighton Bier products only, he said, adding: “What we wouldn’t want is children walking around in a Brighton Bier t-shirt.
“That conveys the wrong image completely. The sort of things we’ll merchandise will be geared towards adult sizes.”
Mr Whitehurst also said that the hours set out in the application – 11am to 8pm – would be a maximum, with the later 8pm closing time intended for summer.
The council’s seafront office has given its support to Free Haus’s application for a premises licence for three arches just east of the i360.
Mr Whitehurst was asked whether the company would be happy if the drinks licence was restricted to the easternmost arch of the premises – furthest from the entrance – and he said yes.
The proposed layout included four fridges behind the sales counter in one arch, with the other two arches devoted to merchandise and an area for tasting sessions.
Proposals were put forward to limit tastings to 12 people to be held perhaps once a month or up to 18 times a year.
Sussex Police and council licensing officials objected to Free Haus’s application because the site was in a busy area designated a “cumulative impact zone” (CIZ) because of the “saturation” of licensed premises.
Police licensing officer Claire Abdelkader told the hearing today that the premises was also in Regency ward which was ranked worst in Sussex for serious violence. It accounted for 6.2 per cent of all serious violent crime recorded across the force.
The licensing panel, made up of three councillors, retired to reach its verdict which should be made public within five working days.
I live opposite sounds good to me we need to attract new business to the area.
It’s on the seafront.
That is full of drunks already.