UPDATE: Brighton Seafront Restaurant Licence Under Review

A Brighton restaurant could lose its licence after Sussex Police applied for a formal review.

The police made the request after an incident last month when staff called for officers to attend the Monarch Bar and Restaurant, in King’s Road, Brighton, to deal with a “problem customer”.

A report prepared for a Brighton and Hove City Council licensing panel on Tuesday (21 February) includes the police application for immediate action to prevent “serious crime and incidents where harm or injury may be caused to the public”.

Monarch is on the site of the former Buddies restaurant and has a 24-hour alcohol licence.

From 1am to 9am, alcohol can only be sold to people taking a “full table meal”. But at all other times it is covered by “café conditions” where food must be available and customers cannot stand and drink.

Monarch is currently closed and under refurbishment. It was operated by Sunset Brighton Limited, run by its director, 22-year-old Ellis Cheesman. His fellow director Stephen Darby, 62, resigned last September.

The designated premises supervisor (DPS), responsible for alcohol sales, is former Buddies director and well-known Brighton and Hove businessman Andrew Cheesman.

Mr Cheesman, 56, stayed on as DPS to support the new directors, one of whom is his nephew, when they took over the business in 2021.

The meeting papers for the licence review included a report saying that Monarch called for help from a Mobile Support Unit on Monday 23 January to eject a “problem customer”.

The report said that Ellis Cheesman had said that the customer had “been causing issues” and had been punched by another customer.

The report, signed by Superintendent Richard Bates, said that the “intoxicated” man had an eye injury and the police took him to the hospital accident and emergency (A&E) department.

While at A&E, the man’s behaviour deteriorated and he was arrested for being drunk and disorderly.

Police asked for closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the premises but it was not sent as required within 48 hours of the request.

The report said that Ellis Cheesman also failed to provide security camera footage after other incidents – in April, May, July and September last year. This resulted in a meeting with Sussex Police.

Other incidents were listed in the police report

• On Tuesday 19 April police were called after an assault.
• On Saturday 7 May police attended a large fight involving weapons “within the vicinity” of Monarch.
• On Saturday 23 July the staff made several calls to the police after a man, believed to have been armed, was refused entry.
• On Sunday 24 July police witnessed drug dealing in the area and a man with a knife who was known to have been at Monarch earlier in the evening.
• On Friday 29 July police were called after Monarch security staff were assaulted by a man.
• On Friday 16 September police were called to help security staff who had “lost control” of a group of people on the premises and officers “identified a suspect” with drugs and drug paraphernalia at the venue.
• On Friday 14 October police were called to an “altercation” at the restaurant and a man was found with a knife.

…

The report claimed that there was suspected drug use at the restaurant but, unusually for this kind of report, provided no supporting evidence of positive drug swab results.

Superintendent Bates said:

“The number of incidents listed above have caused an ongoing concern in relation to anti-social behaviour (ASB), drug use, crime and persons who police believe are linked to criminality.

“The most recent incidents and questionable behaviour of (the) manager and DPS have seriously undermined the trust and confidence in the premises management and DPS to promote the licensing objectives.”

Mr Darby and Ellis Cheesman are no longer licence holders at the premises and Andrew Cheesman said that he was working positively with police on future licence conditions for the restaurant.

A panel of three councillors is due to decide what steps should be taken at a hearing which is due to start at 10am on Tuesday (21 February). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.

UPDATE

A Brighton seafront restaurant faced losing its licence after Sussex Police formally requested a review.

But today (Tuesday 21 February) councillors were told that Monarch’s landlord had held talks with the police and agreed terms that would permit the venue to reopen.

The talks followed the short-term closure of Monarch, in King’s Road, last month after an incident when staff called for officers to attend to deal with a “problem customer”.

At a council licensing panel hearing today Sussex Police said that they had agreed to proposed new licence conditions including reduced hours.

This followed talks with the venue’s landlord and designated premises supervisor (DPS) Andrew Cheesman, 56.

The panel, made up of three councillors, will decide whether to approve the new regime before the restaurant can reopen under a new name and management.

Monarch was on the site of the former Buddies restaurant and had a 24-hour drinks licence.

It was closed after an incident on Monday 23 January when staff called the police to deal with a violent customer.

The customer was taken to hospital with an eye injury and then arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly after his behaviour became worse.

Initially, Sussex Police called the review so that councillors could consider revoking the licence after seven incidents from April to October last year in and around Monarch.

Mr Cheesman said that he had swabbed the venue for traces of drugs, tested staff and introduced an ID scanner after a meeting with the police licensing team last September.

Sussex Police did not submit any evidence of drug traces having been found at the premises despite indicating in a report that drugs were taken there.

Mr Cheesman said that he had agreed that an Indian restaurant called Malika could take over the site, with a view to opening on Monday 6 March.

He told the council licensing panel that he started looking for a new team to take over the business after last year’s meeting with police licensing officers.

Mr Cheesman realised, he said, that Sunset Brighton Limited, whose directors include Mr Cheesman’s 22-year-old nephew Ellis Cheesman, could not cope with the pressures of running a restaurant on the seafront.

Ellis Cheesman and his former business partner Stephen Darby, 62, who resigned last September, have no links with Malika.

Mr Cheesman said:

“They have no involvement at all. In December, I had already lined up the new people because we were not going to agree for the licence to carry on with Ellis.

“I had agreed to stay on as DPS to help them through as I’ve been on the seafront for 25 years.”

Mr Cheesman agreed to step down as DPS. The new team from Malika was said to have staff with licensing experience who were ready to take over running the premises.

Under the proposed conditions, the venue would operate as a café during the day, with alcohol available from 10am to 5pm and with substantial food available at all times.

The venue would close at 5pm, reopening at 5.30pm, with restaurant conditions limiting alcohol sales to customers buying a full meal until closing time at midnight.

The panel – councillors Chris Henry, Clare Moonan and Anne Pissaridou – retired to make a decision which should be made public within five working days.