A pub chain has pledged to be a good neighbour after winning the green light to open in a former lap-dancers club near one of London’s busiest train stations.
JD Wetherspoon is transforming the vacant SophistiCats venue near Euston Station into the latest in its stable of hundreds of pubs.
The hostelry will be called Captain Flinders after the explorer who was credited with naming Australia, whose remains were rediscovered during excavations for the HS2 railway nearby.
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Camden’s licensing committee approved a licence to open at 6.30am on Mondays and close at midnight on Mondays to Thursdays and until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
It is proposing opening at 7.30am on Sundays and shutting at 11.30pm.
Customers will be able to buy alcohol from 8am, until 11.30pm on Mondays to Thursdays and until 12.30am on Fridays and Saturdays and until 10.30pm on Sundays.
An artist's impression of The Captain Flinders in Eversholt Street, Euston. Photo: DV Architects
St Pancras and Somers Town ward councillor Edmund Frondigoun asked for the hours to be pulled back by one hour on Mondays to Saturdays, and said there are already eight pubs nearby.
He stressed that the venue is in a residential area with Edith Neville flats immediately behind it and St Mary’s and St Richard’s flats nearby.
Some residents had written to the licensing committee with concerns about noise.
Cllr Frondigoun said he wanted to ensure pub customers did not interact with the queue at the popular Roti King round the corner in Doric Way. He also said he was concerned about drinkers heading through the estate.
An artist's impression of The Captain Flinders in Eversholt Street, Euston. Photo: DV Architects
He told the applicants: “Please treat it as a pub in a residential area, there is a very vibrant community here which needs to be respected as well.”
JD Wetherspoon legal director Nigel Connor responded: “We don’t approach or venues on a cookie cutter basis and we have experience of pubs in residential areas.”
He added: “It is rare that we get complaints from residents – if they do arise, we take appropriate action.”
Neighbours will be invited to visit the pub before it opens to meet the team and there will be a meeting with residents within four to six weeks of opening, he pledged.
An artist's impression of The Captain Flinders in Eversholt Street, Euston. Photo: DV Architects
Mr Connor said trained door staff would prevent customers heading towards the restaurant queue.
He said other venues nearby were allowed to open much later and the club had a licence to stay open til 5am.
He said the company is very experienced and with several hostelries near stations including St Pancras “we know how to operate a pub near a busy railway station.”
Mr Connor told the licensing committee the chain’s pubs are food-led and it would not play music, which can mean customers shout over it.
The pub will have just one entrance on Eversholt Street directly in line with the bar so staff can see people coming in and keep an eye on them, he explained.
Area manager Tom Young said staff have ear pieces and bodycams and can deal with issues swiftly.
“We have a lot of eyes on the ground,” he said.
The applicants were quizzed about how they would manage match day crowds.
Mr Connor said the venue would not be promoted as a place to watch matches and it would only show games on terrestrial television.
He said the pub will “have a heavy emphasis on food”.
Committee chair Jonathan Simpson also wanted to know about managing customers attracted by cheap drinks.
Mr Connor said: “Selling alcohol at a good value price doesn’t mean you can ignore licensing obligations. We run Don’t do Drunk and Challenge 25 and have all sorts of safeguards.
“You have to control sale of alcohol irrespective of the price it’s sold at.”
Cllr Shah Miah said he was concerned about the impact on vulnerable residents living nearby and asked for SIA (security industry authority) trained door staff on duty every day, not just at weekends and match days.
This extra condition was added to the licence.
Cllr Simpson also said the pub should apply for outside seating when it has more detail about the numbers it can accommodate there.
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