Councillors Consider Hailsham Sports Club Alcohol License

A panel of councillors has retired to consider whether to grant an alcohol licence to a Hailsham sports club. 

On Tuesday (July 28), a Wealden District Council licensing panel met to consider an application for the sale of alcohol at the Hailsham Cricket Club pavilion, which sits in the Western Road Recreation Ground.

The application came before the committee following opposition from a neighbour – Mark Kennedy of Western Road – who argued the hours sought by the club would be too late and would be likely to have a detrimental impact on neighbours.

During the meeting, the committee heard from cricket club representative Andrew Anthony. He said:

“The reason we are looking to open the bar is so that we can have a community pub for our members to utilise and also to help us raise funds [for the club].

“Being an English Cricket Board governed club, we already have protocols in place in terms of safety, particularly for children. All of the committee, who as has been mentioned would be the ones doing the serving, are DBS checked and we have policies around child welfare.

“We have already purchased signage, in terms of things like respecting the neighbours and [controlling] noise outside. We have quite a good relationship with the local community and we don’t want that to change.”

The panel also heard from Mr Kennedy, the neighbour who had raised objections to the application.

Mr Kennedy, who said he had lodged the objection in consultation with his neighbours, said he was not opposed to the granting of any licence, but felt the hours sought would have too great an impact on local residents.

He said:

“In consultation with my neighbours, we did come to a compromise solution that we wanted to put to the cricket club.

“We did try to contact the cricket club, but have been unsuccessful. Our solution was, or my solution was, that it would open Monday to Fridays from 5.30pm to 9pm and on weekends from 1pm to 9pm, all this subject to a match being played on that day.

“But also to allow say 12 late night licences, up to 11pm, throughout the year for club events.

“I’ve tried to support the club the best I can, but I think we have got to support the local residents as well.”

The hours suggested by Mr Kennedy were significantly lower than what the club applied for.

The club had been seeking a licence to serve alcohol between 10am and 11pm Monday to Friday, 10am to 11.30pm on Saturdays and noon to 10.30pm on Sundays.

In light of Mr Kennedy’s concerns, Mr Anthony said that the club would not object to an altered set of opening hours, but said it felt the hours sought were appropriate.

This argument saw some confusion from the licensing panel, however.

Cllr David Watts (Con, Arlington) said:

“You have contradicted yourself twice. You have said you wanted to have a compromise when the hours were first discussed, then you sort of backtracked on that again and said you want to stand by the hours, which you are quite entitled to do.

“But I think we have to be pretty clear on what we are going to consent to. It is either one or the other. You can’t make a compromise and then backtrack on it. It has got to be very clear cut.”

In response, Mr Anthony confirmed the club felt the hours sought would be appropriate and that the concerns raised could be covered by careful management by the club. This would include preventing outside drinking after 9.30pm, he said.

He said:

“The club’s committee is very committed to our relations with the local community, particularly neighbours.

“We don’t wish this to in anyway jeopardize that and we would be looking to be very mindful of local residents.”

Following further discussion the licensing panel retired to make its decision in a private session. 

It is understood that a formal decision is likely to be issued on Friday (July 31).

By Huw Oxburgh, Local Democracy Reporter.