A beach bar and café operator is waiting to hear whether he will be granted a drinks licence to open a new premises on Hove seafront. Jack Cregan, 39, of the Crafthouse Collective Ltd, told a council licensing panel that he and his company wanted the venue, Babble, to be somewhere that had the support of their neighbours. The licensing panel hearing was held because objections were received from 11 people living in Fairlawns, a block of flats across the road, in Kingsway.
The premises licence, if granted, would allow Babble to sell alcohol, serve late-night refreshment and play live and recorded music at the new food and drink venue. The bar and café will be at the recently completed outdoor sports hub at Hove Beach Park, the section of Hove seafront currently undergoing a £13 million revamp. Brighton and Hove City Council licensing officer Emily Fountain said that, after discussions with the those behind the 11 objections, nine were withdrawn.
Of the two remaining objections, one appeared to be related to the planning permission for the building, rather than the licence application, the panel was told. The objection came from a couple who complained that the building blocked their view and that they had been told that it would be made of glass – but it was not. The couple said: “We are already having trouble with people getting drunk and sleeping in our communal hallways.
” Another of the original objections said: “There is already another building nearby ...
whi.
