Football club disputes licence change will lead to bottles in garden
A football club has defended itself from claims a new licence will lead to bottles being thrown into a neighbour’s garden.
Sutton United Football Club has applied for a licence for Coleshill Nurseries, Coleshill Road, Sutton Coldfield – one of its locations in the Royal Town.
It wants to stay open from 8am until 11.30pm from Sunday to Thursday and 8am until 1.30am on Fridays and Saturdays, with separate timings for alcohol, recorded and live music and dance performances.
The bid has been opposed by two neighbours, with one stating “we have had damage to our garden fence, due to drunk, late-night party goers (from the club) climbing on it”.
They added they have “also had to clean up glass and beer bottles that have been thrown into our garden” and added they fear the problem will be repeated if the licence is granted.
But a Birmingham City Council licensing sub-committee heard no alcohol sales have taken place at the premises for five years.
And previously, when the bar was operated by a separate football club, drinks were served only in cans – not glasses or bottles, the meeting heard.
The meeting heard it would have been possible for members of the public to have entered the site as there were no security gates.
The meeting heard planning permission for new synthetic pitches at Coleshill Nurseries was granted in 2019 but that the licence bid was delayed by Covid.
The club has had a longstanding premises licence for its other location at Hollyfield Road.
Licensing consultant Frank Fender, representing the club, said: “What is not clear from the representation […] is how [they know] that that activity was caused by people who had been using the football club premises.
“There has not been any sales of alcohol made from those football club premises since the previous club certificate was surrendered in January 2017 – over five years ago.
“It may be of course that [the objector] is referring to people gathering in the area of the football club buildings while they were closed.
“Access to that area would have been as there was no security fencing, no gates.
“What I can say is that the issues raised in [their] representation were not as a result of those premises operating.”
The club has stated customers will not be able to use outside areas of the club after 11pm with the exception of smoking.
Conditions have been agreed with the council’s environmental health and licensing enforcement teams including around staff training.
The sub-committee – consisting of chair Councillor Diane Donaldson, Councillor Bob Beauchamp and Councillor Martin Straker Welds – will make a decision within five working days.
