An extraordinary meeting of the Licensing Sub-Committee of Tower Hamlets Council decided after a 4-hour session this afternoon to revoke the licence of Public Life.

The decision came after strong representations from the Police, Council Officers and local residents, of whom about 30 were present.

However Public Life are likely to appeal.

Reminder: the Public Life licence review hearing is tomorrow at 2pm

Message from Matt Piper – forwarded by the Spitalfields Society

————-Sent: 04 January 2012 22:55

Subject: Public Life licence review

As you may have heard there have been developments concerning Public Life recently. There was a large police raid a week before Christmas during which a significant quantity of drugs were found and several people arrested including, I believe, some members of staff. The police then applied for, and obtained, an immediate suspension of their licence pending a full review. This review has been combined with the one that several local residents recently called and in support of which many local people signed a petition.

The review is due to take place at 2pm on Monday 16th January at LBTH offices at Mulberry Place, E14. The more people that attend, the better will be the chances of getting their licence permanently revoked. There will certainly be a group of residents attending from our end of Fournier Street but it would really help if other local people could attend too.  There will probably be some space in cars if people need transport and if not, there will be a group travelling on public transport which anyone is welcome to join. If people want more details on this, or the review, they are very welcome to contact me.

Many thanks for your help.

Matt

Matthew Piper
ELEVEN AND A HALF
Fournier Street
London
E1 6QE
www.elevenandahalf.com

Dear Members, For information.

“Sent: 22 December 2011 10:49
To: ‘nick.kemp@towerhamlets.gov.uk’; ‘licensing@towerhamlets.gov.uk’; ‘Alan.D.Cruickshank@met.police.uk’

Subject: Licence Application for 76 Commercial Street

Dear Sirs,

Application for a premises Licence for 76 Commercial Street, London E1, formerly Dino’s Restaurant

At a special meeting of the Committee of the Spitalfields Society last night in relation to the above application it was decided to write a message of support for the continued use of the premises as a restaurant serving alcohol, bearing in  mind that it replaces Dino’s restaurant, which also had a licence for ‘on sale’ alcohol until very recently when it was unfortunately surrendered.  It was the committee’s view that a high-quality new restaurant such as number 76 would be an enhancement to that section of Commercial Street, complimenting other high-end restaurants further up the street and improving the environment in what is now a relatively dead, only sparsely residential area.  We would, however, ask for some modification of the opening hours to bring them into line with other restaurants operating in Commercial Street. 

And we would oppose the granting of an off-licence in the light of existing problems with alcohol and street-drinking in Spitalfields.

Please note that Philip Vracas, who would be a licensee of number 76 and who is the Treasurer of the Society, was not present at last night’s meeting and had no part in the discussion or vote.

Yours sincerely,

Sandy Critchley
Vice-Chairman, Spitalfields Society
14 Wilkes Street
London E1 6QF”

Copied from the LBTH website – http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/environment_and_planning/recycling_and_waste.aspx

Please don’t send angry messages if the collection isn’t on the published day!  Please ring the contact number below and they will arrange for a special collection.

“Christmas waste and recycling collections

Domestic, trade waste and recycling collection changes over the Christmas and New Year holidays:

Normal collection day          Revised collection day
Monday, December 26          Tuesday, December 27
Tuesday, December 27         Wednesday, December 28
Wednesday, December 28   Thursday, December 29
Thursday, December 29       Friday, December 30
Friday, December 30             Saturday, December 31

Normal services will resume from Monday, January 2.

Please ensure your waste and recycling (including food and garden waste) is available for collection before 7am on your collection day.

Recycle your Christmas tree

Each year, several hundred Christmas trees are collected for recycling in the borough and start a whole new life as compost. If you would like to give your Christmas tree a happy ending simply contact your housing manager for arrangements if you live in a block of flats or put your tree out at the boundary of your property on your normal garden waste collection day if you live in a house. Collections will take place in January, between Monday 2 and Friday 20.

Please put out real Christmas trees only and make sure they are free of pots, soil and decorations as these do not compost down.

Contact us

London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Waste Management
Mulberry Place (AH)
PO Box 55739
5 Clove Crescent
E14 1BY
Tel: 020 7364 5004
Fax: 020 7364 6885

Email: generalenquiries@towerhamlets.gov.uk”

Nicholas Morse, the new Spitalfields Society Chairman, and Matt Piper from Fournier Street have been discussing setting up a Neighbourhood Watch (Matt has been investigating this for Fournier Street and Puma Court).  They agreed that Matt would set one up for the whole area, Hanbury, Wilkes, Fournier and Princelet Streets and Puma Court, and that he would run it.  Matt obviously needs a rep for each street.  

Matt is happy to assume that role for Fournier Street, and Nicholas is will do Princelet Street. 

Please could we have volunteers for Hanbury and Wilkes Streets? 

It will be a low key institution as much of what a neighbourhood watch does we already do, but it covers that base as far as council and police are concerned. The only responsibility for a rep will be to collect names, numbers, emails and car registration numbers for those who wish to participate, and those details are shared within that each particular street. It isn’t intended to have meetings, newsletters etc unless they are required and on an ad hoc basis.

Forwarded by the Spitalfields Society:

“Several residents in Fournier Street have collectively submitted an application for the review of the licence of Public Life, the underground night club in front of Christ Church on Commercial Street.   Our ultimate goal is closure of the club, but we hope at least initially to curb its opening hours.

We need as many other residents as possible to write to SUPPORT this application by Friday, 30th December.  Please see the points below, which you may wish to use to formulate your own email. 

1. Public Life (82a Commercial Street E1 6LY) has consistently been a source of public nuisance and ASB for local residents and businesses throughout 2011.  Patrons using the club are frequently drunk and/or under the influence of drugs and their behaviour outside the club is rowdy and intimidating.  On occasion patrons are so inebriated they lose consciousness. 

2. Club patrons urinate, defecate and vomit in Christ Church Gardens, around the coffee cup stall in front of the church, and in Fournier Street.  They buy drugs openly on the street.

3. Their disorderly and offensive behaviour is witnessed by visitors to Christ Church and the Brick Lane mosque, as well as families with young children visiting Spitalfields. 

4. At night time Public Life is a regular cause of disturbance, with a loud bass line from the music system audible in surrounding properties, and patrons screaming, shouting and swearing outside in the street.  They often buy alcohol from local off-licences and drink in the street, causing a nuisance. 

5. Public Life repeatedly breaches conditions attached to its licence following a previous licence review.  LBTH has failed to enforce these conditions and the club flouts them with impunity.  The club has on many occasions opened and operated outside its permitted hours, and regularly advertises events online outside these hours.

6. Since it opened Public Life has shown an arrogant disregard for the terms of its licence and the neighbourhood in which it operates.  It has failed to demonstrate a responsible attitude and has had a negative impact on the lives of people living and working in the area.  It does not deserve to keep its licence.

NB   Alan Cruickshank, Met Licensing Officer for Tower Hamlets, has emphasised the importance of linking incidents of disorder directly to the club.  Please do include details of anything you have witnessed, particularly in the last year.

Please send your email to nick.kemp@towerhamlets.gov.uk    licensing@towerhamlets.gov.uk  and Alan.D.Cruickshank@met.police.uk  by Friday 30th December. 

Letters should be headed: IN SUPPORT OF REVIEW OF PREMISES LICENCE OF PUBLIC LIFE (82a Commercial Street E1 6LY).  Provide your full name and address when emailing.”

An application has been made to open a new Off-Licence in a former clothing shop at 80 Commercial Street, E1 6LY – on the left just past Christ Church.

The hours applied for are Mon – Wed: 7am to 2am, and Thurs – Sun: 7am to 3am.

Spitalfields Society members may wish to  object to this application, which can only exacerbate the problem of anti-social behaviour, especially from the clients of Public Life.

Your Committee will be objecting on behalf of the Society on the grounds that Spitalfields is saturated with off-licences, and that off-licences are one of the main causes of and focuses for the anti-social behaviour which blights the lives of residents in the area.

You may wish to object on the same grounds – every objection helps to weigh against such an application. 

Objections should be sent by e-mail to:

nick.kemp@towerhamlets.gov.uk     licensing@towerhamlets.gov.uk     alan.d.cruickshank@met.police.uk

Reminder – you have until 2nd December to submit your comments on these proposals

Change  of use of 5 locations in the Old Truman Brewery to restaurant

PA/11/03309, PA/11/03310, PA/11/03311, PA/11/03312, PA/11/03313

Yesterday evening the Metropolitan Police carried out their second large scale operation in Spitalfields within a month: about 80 specially trained police officers were present, led by a Sergeant of the Territorial Support Group (TSG).

Last night, the first stage had police with sniffer dogs at the exits from all the local tube and railway stations.  Any people suspected of possessing weapons or drugs were taken by police van to a marquee in the Old Brewery car park behind Woodseer Street where they were searched and, if appropriate, charged.

Four Spitalfields Society members, Sandy Critchley, Chris Dyson, James Warwick and Rupert Wheeler, and one Woodseer Street resident, James Imrie, were given a tour of the operation at 10pm by the Tower Hamlets Town Centre Police Inspector, Joe McDonald (we’re not sure of the spelling of his surname).

The police were mainly in plain clothes at that time, and actually quite difficult to distinguish from the people brought in.  A large number of arrests were made, but those found with only small amounts of pot and cocaine for personal use would be cautioned and released.  Police told us that the last operation gave a hit rate of around 60% of people with weapons or drugs.

At a later stage, the Brick Lane area was cordoned off by uniformed police and a random search for weapons and drugs was conducted.

Our team pointed out that the last operation was not directed at and so far seems to have done little to help reduce street drinking and anti-social behaviour.  The police argue, however, that this type of operation (which is also carried out in other hot spots like Soho) spreads the word that anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated and does indeed improve all aspects of behaviour in areas with a heavy night footfall.

The Spitalfields Society Committee will consider how to take better advantage of the recent street-drinking ban, which neither the police nor the council seem to have the resources to enforce.  Ideas include forcing the council to place notices about the ban on lampposts, or to use Society funds to provide them.

Your thoughts and ideas would be appreciated.

Change  of use of 5 locations in the Old Truman Brewery to restaurant

PA/11/03309, PA/11/03310, PA/11/03311, PA/11/03312, PA/11/03313

Dear Members,

Here we go again.  The Zeloof Partnership have resubmitted the five planning applications for new restaurants in the Old Truman Brewery.  

You can view them via the following link:

http://194.201.98.213/WAM/searchsubmit/performOption.do?action=search

Once at that page, enter each number (e.g. PA/11/03309) in the search box under “Application number” to reach the case file.

The Spitalfields Society Committee hopes that as many members as possible will object to these applications.

To be safely within the time limit, objections should be submitted by 2nd December 2011.

Objections should be sent by letter to: Ila Robertson, Applications Manager, Development & Renewal Town Planning, Mulberry Place (AH), PO Box 55739, 5 Clove Crescent, London E14 1BY Or by e-mail to: dr.developmentcontrol@towerhamlets.gov.uk Or by using the link on the case file to “Comment on Application”

Please include your full name and address in your message.

The following is a template: 

“Dear Ila Robertson,

Change  of use of 5 locations in the Old Truman Brewery to restaurant
PA/11/03309, PA/11/03310, PA/11/03311, PA/11/03312, PA/11/03313

We wish to register our strong objections to these planning applications.  Our objections to the applications are based on the unsuitability of the sites of the restaurants and the current uses of the yard.

In considering these application we would ask the planning department to consider the following:

• The use of Ely’s Yard has escalated since previous applications were granted and has been the cause of many problems for residents due to noise nuisance and anti social behaviour
• The opening times of the existing premises in Ely’s Yard which have been restricted to protect residents
• The number of existing bars and restaurants already operating in Ely’s Yard and Dray Walk
• The proximity of the premises to the nearest residential property – across a narrow road
• The existing problems in the site – currently part of the dispersal zone operating because of anti social behaviour in the area
• That premises licences will inevitably be applied
• The impact of the service traffic, rubbish disposal etc 

The proposed restaurants are sited in Elys Yard and Dray Walk, Truman Brewery. The area already has several food outlets and big bars which also act as food outlets, a cafe and various other vans which dispense food.  The yard is already very busy especially on Friday and Saturday nights; it is a car park during the week, has a market on Friday and is the entrance to the Sunday Upmarket.  All these premises use the gates at Hanbury Street for customers, workers, users of the car park and all service traffic.  The gates/entrance to the yard are often congested with traffic attempting to leave and enter the yard as it is the only vehicular entrance. 

This yard is exceptionally busy and has already created problems for residents.  Since the granting of planning permission last time for this site the development and use of the yard has escalated and has been the cause of many documented problems for residents through noise nuisance, anti social behaviour and people gathering at the entrance to the gate drinking and shouting.  The site lies within yards of the nearest residential property and the addition of these restaurant and the opening times requested would increase the noise nuisance, creating more anti social behaviour and disturbance for residents. 

Yours sincerely,
Name
Address”