Upminster Pub Seeks Permission To Serve Alcohol From 10am.

A chain pub in Havering has asked for permission to serve alcohol from as early as 10am, amid challenging commercial times writes Sebastian Mann, local democracy reporter.

BrewDog formally applied to Havering Council to amend its licence for its Upminster venue earlier in the summer.

Currently, the Station Road pub is licensed to sell alcohol from midday until 10.45pm on weekdays, and until 11.45pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

In a lengthy application form, the Scottish brewery and pub chain said staff would be “fully trained” to ensure they were “fully aware and keeping up to our steps and responsibilities”.

However, Havering’s environmental health noise team, which handles noise complaints, has objected to the scheme.

An officer proposed the venue install a sound limiting device to prevent music disrupting any neighbours, but BrewDog declined.

He said that without a noise management plan, which also requires BrewDog to prevent patrons loitering and to close doors and windows after 9pm, he was “unable” to support the application.

The town hall’s licensing committee, made up of elected councillors, will make a formal decision on the application next week.

It comes after BrewDog announced it would close ten venues across the UK, and its beers were dropped by almost 2,000 pubs. The Standard reported it was due to customers moving towards London-based draughts such as Beavertown and Camden Town.

The bars earmarked for closure were in Aberdeen, Dundee, Leeds, Brighton, Oxford, Sheffield, York and three in London. They included spots in Camden, Shepherds Bush, and Shoreditch.

A spokesperson for Brewdog said the “ongoing industry challenges” – such as “rising costs, increased regulation, and economic pressures” – had led to the “difficult decision” being taken.

In June, Havering approved a refurbishment of the Upminster venue aimed at improving efficiency and customer safety.

It is one of 60 BrewDog pubs in the UK and opened in late 2022.

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