New African Village alcohol licence rejected in Birmingham

Councillor Waseem Zaffar who claimed granting a licence would present a ‘nightmare’ for local residents, has praised the decision, thanking those who campaigned against the licence.

Last week Simeon Aguh, who previously owned the former African Village premises on Birchfield Road, applied for an alcohol licence for the new premises on 2 Barker Street, Lozells, from 1pm to 11.30pm, Monday to Sunday.

However the application was met with several objections from local residents as well as from local Councillor Zaffar, who claimed that the new location would attract the same kind of clientele as the previous one.

Earlier this year another licensed premise on the road, The Observatory, had its licence revoked following a number of disturbances, with Councillor Zaffar saying residents were ‘terrified’ of a repeat.

Speaking at the meeting, a representative for Mr Aguh said that it was unfair to compare the two premises, insisting that the new location would be primarily a restaurant, where the former location was more of a nightclub.

However the licensing committee sided with the residents in their decision, citing the ‘prevention of public nuisance’ as their main reasoning.

Worry

“The ward councillor stated that the sale of alcohol would lead to the same problems which had been experienced in the past in the Barker Street vicinity,” the decision stated.

“Local residents had also made their views on this aspect plain to the ward councillor – that the risk of anti-social behaviour was a great worry to them.

“The ward councillor’s fears were not speculative, but were based on his direct knowledge of problems created by alcohol-licensed premises which had operated in the area in the past.

“The ward councillor noted in particular that the applicant had arranged for four security guards to be on duty at weekends; the sub-committee agreed that this seemed unusual for a premises describing itself as a restaurant.

“The sub-committee observed that the ward councillor was supportive of local businesses; he remarked that a restaurant would expand the food offer available in Barker Street, create jobs and contribute to the local economy.

“However, the issue was the sale of alcohol, which had been found to create problems in the area in the past, and to adversely affect the lives of residents as a result.

“The sub-committee therefore determined that the correct course was to refuse the application; the premises would be able to operate as a restaurant, but without the alcohol licence which would put the licensing objectives at risk.”

Reacting to the news, Councillor Zaffar said: “Thank you to the residents who supported this campaign and Birmingham City Council for rejecting this application. We fully support the restaurant and hope they are successful in running their operations without the need to serve alcohol.”