Residents Fight Plans to Sell Alcohol at New Rainham Café.
Six residents living near a new café in Rainham say it should not be allowed to sell alcohol, writes local democracy reporter Sebastian Mann.
Ilirida Café is set to open in Upminster Road, after the operators were given permission to convert a former florist.
They have now applied to Havering Council’s licensing department to serve alcohol to seated customers, to enjoy with their meals, from 11am until 11pm, seven days a week.
In their application, the applicants said their “modest-sized café” would mainly serve tea and coffee but, “in order to not lose customers, we would like to serve a bottled beer or a glass of wine”.
They estimate that around four-fifths of products sold will be “soft drinks, refreshments, teas and coffees”.
However, residents living nearby fear they could be “disproportionately impacted”.
Customers drinking and talking directly next-door to one resident’s home would stretch beyond a “minor inconvenience” and “fundamentally affect my ability to peacefully enjoy my property on a daily basis,” she said.
Another expressed concern that the sale of booze “may increase the likelihood of antisocial behaviour, public disorder, and alcohol-related incidents in the surrounding area”.
In a bid to uphold the four licensing objectives – preventing disorder and noise, upholding public safety, and protecting children from harm – the café operators say they will ensure all staff undergo training and keep an incident log to record any crimes or refusals of service.
Customers will be asked to leave quietly, while a “comprehensive” CCTV system will monitor the café and footage will be kept for 31 days.
Neither the Metropolitan Police or Havering’s own licensing team have objected to the proposals.
The café operators will go before the council’s licensing committee – made up of three elected councillors – in August.
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