Islington News: Councillor George Allan | Murphis | Clerkenwell Road | Nuisance | 24 Hour Drinking

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Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER
Published: 15 August 2008

Cllr George Allan

‘Noise and nuisance from bars and clubs on the rise’

Licensing chiefs reject application for drinking until 5am

A KARAOKE club bar in Clerkenwell is a “contender for one of the worst managed” in the area according to a councillor who hit out at the government’s 24-hour licensing laws.
Liberal Democrat executive member for regeneration George Allan said Clerkenwell had become the pub and club capital of the borough but Labour legislation made it difficult to control hours and behaviour.
He spoke out after an Islington licensing committee refused an application from Murphis in Clerkenwell Road for a drinking extension to 5am at the weekend and 3am weekdays.
The premises, which has applied for extended hours four times in as many years, was told that it could eventually lose its licence if residents carry out a threat to ask the committee to review the club’s activities. Under the 24-hour drinking laws residents can call for closure of a premises at a licensing committee if it continues to cause a nuisance.
Murphis is currently open until 1am weekdays and 3am at the weekend.
Cllr Allan said: “Residents have to put up with noise every time the doors open in the early hours, vomit and urine. There is a low standard of management – it’s a contender for one of the worst managed bars in Clerkenwell – and nothing appears to have been done to improve the situation.”
The committee heard that one furious Britton Street resident, unable to sleep, decided to take photos of customers drinking outside Murphis with his mobile phone camera.
A row ensued and the police were called when a member of staff confiscated the camera, although he later returned it. Another resident “implored” Islington Council not to grant the application.
The resident added: “On one occasion there were cars outside blaring out incredibly loud music, beeping their horns, and the occupants all shouting and yelling down the street. When I went out to ask them to keep the noise down, I found two of them urinating on my building, just beneath my lounge window.”
But club owner Murphy Okojie said his staff had done all they could to appease residents, including arranging a meeting to discuss problems.
His solicitor Thomas O’Maoileoin said the club are prepared to accept the strictest conditions and liaise with residents at all times.
Mr O’Maoileoin said longer hours would improve problems in the neighbourhood rather than exacerbate them.
He added: “It would mean that customers wouldn’t all come out at the same time at 3am Fridays and Saturdays, where there is potential for disturbances. If the hours were extended to 5am not everyone would want to stay until the early hours and they would come out in smaller groups.”
He said there had been no objection to the application from police or the council’s environmental health team.
The committee, chaired by Liberal Democrat councillor Fiona Dunlop, refused the application.
After the meeting Cllr Allan said there was a growing problem of noise and nuisance from bars and clubs in Clerkenwell. He added: “My message to all licensed outlets is that they should expect hard times from the council and residents if they pose neighbourhood problems. Islington’s licence policy seeks to bring about high standards. The nearer a club or bar is to residents’ homes the higher those standards should be.”
He criticised the 24-hours drinking legislation. “It’s a case of one size fits all rather than giving councils like Islington the opportunity to demand shorter hours of operation and restrict the numbers of outlets in residential areas,” he said.

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