New bid to reopen troubled Wolverhampton pub
A bid to reopen a troubled Wolverhampton pub will be considered at a meeting next week.
The former Harp Pub, in Walsall Street, in the Horseley Fields area, had been plagued by gangs and violence.
Wolverhampton Council’s licensing sub-committee will meet on Wednesday.
West Midlands Police have objected to the proposal, put forward by O. Hines Limited, citing the pubs previous links with gangs and issues with anti-social behaviour.
The police’s representations have been supported by the authority’s licensing and environmental health departments.
In recent years the pub has been forced to close down several times following incidents of violence and nuisance behaviour.
It had then reopened under the name ‘The Mississauga’ before finally closing again.
In December last year, a previous application to reopen the pub had been withdrawn. This followed months of opposition from nearby residents. The latest plan was set to discussed at a meeting last month but was adjourned.
In her submission to the committee, Sgt Steph Reynolds, of Wolverhampton Police, said: "The grounds for objection are based on the licensing objectives of prevention of crime and disorder, public safety and the prevention of public nuisance.
“There is a history of this venue undermining all of the above, and there is nothing in this application that would suggest that these objectives will be upheld sufficiently.
“The applicant has a history of running venues that attract gangs, create noise issues and has had licences revoked.”
Environmental health officers said when the venue was open, they received a number of complaints from fed-up residents about noise nuisance and littering, with people hanging around outside The Harp until 5am on some nights.
They added that people living nearby said they have been able to sleep and enjoy living in the area again and had fears about it reopening because of the clientele it historically attracted.
