This Licensing Sub-Committee A meeting was scheduled to consider an application for a new Premises Licence for a Café and Restaurant called Buteco Do Gordinho on 31 Walton Road in Woking. The application was submitted by Mr Manuel Rocha, a licensing consultant¹ on behalf of Mr Edy Carlos Pereria and the company ECP Belsize Ltd. Objections were scheduled to be heard from both Surrey Police and Woking Borough Council's Environmental Health department.

Application for a Premises Licence – Buteco Do Gordinho

Mr Rocha sought a licence to sell alcohol at Buteco Do Gordinho every day between 10am and 10.30pm. The meeting report pack includes details about the applicant, and a summary of their application, which included conditions they were willing to agree to in order to get a licence. It also details the location of the premises and the past history of licensing matters related to the site.

Surrey Police objected to the application because they were not satisfied that Mr Rocha's application adequately promoted the crime prevention licensing objective.

They wanted him to demonstrate that all staff, whether paid or unpaid, would be given training about the Licensing Act 2003, particularly their responsibilities related to crime and disorder. They also wanted more specific information about Mr Rocha's plans to manage the behaviour of people who appear to be drunk, and to manage any busy periods when the cafe might be showing sporting events, particularly football matches. They wanted Mr Rocha to demonstrate how he would manage capacity at the cafe, and what he would do to ensure that vulnerable customers were kept safe. They also wanted details of how the cafe would monitor and record any refusals to sell alcohol. They also asked for clarification on whether the cafe would be open to customers from 8am, but only licensed to sell alcohol from 10am.

Is the applicant who has described the premises on their application premises licence as ‘a new café and restaurant’ intending to sell alcohol with a table meal at 0800 to 1000 hours and/or to sell alcohol to be taken off the premises during these times?

Surrey Police suggested to Mr Rocha that they would be willing to withdraw their objection if he could provide details about his plans for these issues, and if he would agree to delay the start of alcohol sales until 11am.

Woking Borough Council's Environmental Health department also objected because they were not satisfied that the application adequately promoted the public nuisance licensing objective.

They noted that the applicant had not engaged with them to discuss his plans in detail. They were particularly concerned that alcohol sales, and the cafe's opening hours until 11pm, might create a noise nuisance for residents living nearby. They noted that similar uses at the site had caused problems for residents in the past. They also highlighted that, because Buteco Do Gordinho would have a licence to sell alcohol, they would be entitled to play live and recorded music at the premises until 11pm without needing to get additional permission from the council. They thought this could make it more difficult to control noise at the cafe. They wanted Mr Rocha to restrict alcohol sales at the cafe until 8pm, and to agree to a number of conditions about noise management and use of the outdoor areas at the front of the cafe.

The sale of alcohol and playing of amplified music to 22.30hours would not be in keeping with the residential closeby.

The Environmental Health Officer, Liz Liesicke, also thought there was potential for nuisance from takeaway food deliveries, waste disposal, and people drinking or smoking in the outdoor areas at the cafe.

In addition, the premises are situated on a corner plot close to both roads. Noise on the street cannot be controlled under statutory nuisance provisions should problems arise as a result of the business operating.

She suggested that the cafe would need to agree to a number of conditions in order to mitigate this potential nuisance, including keeping windows and doors closed when music is being played; not allowing any vertical drinking; ensuring that all alcohol is sold with food, and that customers are asked to leave quietly, and that no food or drink is allowed outside after 8pm.

The report pack makes it very clear that these issues were scheduled to be discussed and decided at the Licensing Sub-Committee A meeting. The documents do not tell us whether the application was approved, whether any of the conditions were imposed, or indeed whether the meeting took place at all.