Concerns were raised by police and councillors over the impact of the new venue, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

XHale, Edmonton (credit Google) — Xhale in Advent Way, Edmonton (credit Google)

Plans for a new nightclub in Edmonton are on hold after the operators failed to obtain a licence from Enfield Council.

The application for a licence for ‘The Moon Lounge’ in Advent Way, near Meridian Water, was refused by the local authority’s licensing sub-committee following a meeting on Wednesday, 15th April, when concerns were raised by councillors and police.

The Moon Lounge would have been located directly below existing late-night venue Xhale Rooftop Lounge, which is already licensed to run until the early hours of the morning.

According to recently published minutes from the meeting, PC Derek Ewart raised objections to the new venue on the grounds that the nightclub could lead to crime and public nuisance and, potentially, cause safety issues.

PC Ewart argued that the club would be in an industrial estate with poor lighting, limited footfall and a high number of vehicles going in and out.

At the same time, the Met Police representative said the space was in an area already struggling with high rates of crime and antisocial behaviour and could make this situation even worse.

The fact that some of the patrons would likely be drunk or intoxicated was also a concern, especially in regards to drink driving. The police also said that the club, being in a relatively isolated area, could raise safeguarding issues for vulnerable people late at night.

PC Ewart argued that the applicant and proposed premises supervisor, Fation Gjana, had failed to demonstrate a satisfactory plan for how the club would operate when he had met with police to discuss the proposals.

Speaking on behalf of the applicant, solicitor Noel Samaroo argued that Gjana was well placed to run the new venue, having already operated a late-night bar in the neighbouring borough of Haringey.

Samaroo also said that his client had experience of recruiting accredited Security Industry Authority (SIA) staff capable of keeping customers safe.

It was also noted that the application for The Moon Lounge had “evolved significantly” following earlier consultations with local authorities and would be a controlled, weekend-only operation. Samaroo explained that the application included revised opening hours of 10am-3:30am, Fridays and Saturdays, with alcohol sales ending half-an-hour before closing.

Samaroo pointed to plans to have a minimum of four SIA door supervisors who would carry out searches if needed. In addition, he argued that there would be ID scanning systems, 31-day CCTV with incident logs as well as the landlord’s own security patrol on the road at night.

It was also noted that there was no evidence linking the applicant himself to any crime or disorder.

Nevertheless, the council’s licensing committee still rejected the application, arguing, among other things, that the applicant had not provided clear and consistent evidence for how safety and security would be maintained. This included the fact that no written emergency or fire safety plans had been submitted with the application.

Councillors also remained unconvinced about measures concerning safeguarding or efforts to protect pedestrians and prevent drunk driving.

Under the Licensing Act 2003, the applicant still has the right to appeal against the local authority’s decision.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.