WALTHAMSTOW: Wine bar faces closure (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

A Waltham Forest wine bar could close after breaching its licence

3:29pm Thursday 9th February 2012 in Waltham Forest News By Sarah May Hayes

So-Nice Wine Bar in Lea Bridge Road

A WINE bar could face closure after police received a string of complaints from residents about the venue.

So-Nice Wine Bar, in Lea Bridge Road, Walthamstow, is facing a review of its licence after regularly staying open until the early hours of the morning, although the licence states they are meant to close at 1am.

Nine noise complaints have now been made and residents around the vicinity of the bar are often kept awake until 5.30am Thursdays to Sundays because of the loud music coming from the bar and people going in and out of the venue.

A resident living nearby wrote to Licensing Enforcement Officer Marc Witham, saying that the noise from the bar was giving him health problems. He said: “Last Friday and Saturday people left the So-Nice Wine Bar to return to my cars they had parked in my road. They were very noisy with shouting and racing cars up and down the road and tooting car horns at each other. This went on till 4.15am till 5.15am.

“I suffer from a sleep disorder and have to sleep using a machine as my heart stops every few minutes. Because I am being woken and and kept awake at such early hours on a regular basis my health is being affected.

“In the past I have spoken to some of the people making the noise but I have sworn at and had stones thrown at my house.”

Another resident in Raglan Road wrote to Cllr Peter Barnett, Labour member for Wood Street, about the disturbances. The letter stated: “I have witnessed people arriving at the bar up until 3am. We are subjected throughout the night to people hanging around the street drunk, shouting, arguing, urinating and on some occasions fighting.

“The bar itself also plays very loud music with lots of bass which can sometimes vibrate my windows. I feel if the bar closed at its licensing time, the music would be less of a problem.”

Police visited the bar on a number of occasions and spoke to owners Gary McGilchrist and Peter Edwards about the breach of their licence, but the bar has reportedly continually failed to close by 1am.

The police have now requested a review of the bars licence at a sub-committee meeting on Monday (February 13), for the prevention of crime, disorder and public nuisance under the Licensing Act 2003. If the bars licence is revoked it will have no choice but to close.

Cllr Clare Coghill, Labour member for High Street, also lives near the bar and is supporting a revocation of the business’s licence. In a letter to the council she wrote: “The premises generates considerable noise late into the night, and in doing so, shows a total disregard for residents including young children living close by.”

We are awaiting a comment from Mr McGilchrist and Mr Edwards.