Not a Good Start!

I have just been called by a Council Licensing Officer who, along with the local police have just called into the Crossbar to discover that a licensing condition has already been breached within the first 36 hours of opening.    One of the licensing conditions, which was offered by the applicant was that there would be an SIA licensed door person on duty on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7:30pm until closing.    Well the Police and Licensing Officer have confirmed that there is no door person on duty and the Designated Premise Supervisor was not on the premises.      What happened to the promises of a community pub?   This is exactly what I and local residents feared and that is why we opposed the license…………………

Tesco’s at the Plough – APPROVED!

Earlier this evening, I attended the Planning Committee meeting that was considering the application by Tesco to build a new store on the site of the (now derelict) Plough pub at Moreton Cross.    Although the application is not in my ward, it is close enough to the border to have an affect on Moreton West.    I was their with my colleague Cllr Simon Mountney, and our colleague from Leasowe and Moreton East Ward, Cllr Ian Lewis  (The two Labour Councillors for Leasowe and Moreton East did not show up at all)

Around about 50 local residents and traders attended the committee, and It was by far the most contentious item on the agenda, and Me, Simon and Steve Williams have been contacted by many people on this issue.

Tonights meeting followed a site meeting yesterday which I requested, and despite the obvious traffic related concerns, a petition of almost 2,600 signatures, the opposition of ward Councillors and residents and traders the committee approved the application by a vote of 8 for and 4 against.

There are already two Tesco stores at either end of the Town and their massive purchasing and marketing power will dwarf anything local traders can offer.     I also discovered from my colleague Ian that I feature (in a small way) in a book called Tescopoly which he had bought at the weekend. Tescopoly has a website here.

Ian and I adressed the Committee and supported the concerns of the community.    Sadly, while Councillors Paul Hayes, Phil Gilchrist, Stuart Kelly and Denise Realey all voted against the application, they were outvoted by the rest of the Committee.    The report they were given can be found here.

Crossbar Part Deux!

Readers of the blog and the wider Moreton community will be aware that the recent application for a license to sell alcohol at the premises known as Crossbar in Upton Road (Formerly Sorellas) was refused by Wirral’s Licensing PaneI on 29th July.

I have learned today, that another  licensing application has been submitted for the Crossbar, 17 Upton Road, Moreton CH46 0PA.      The application seeks to serve alcohol Monday’s to Sunday’s from 10am until 11:30pm    With the premises open to the public, Monday’s to Sunday’s from 10am until 11:30pm.    You can read a summary of the application by clicking HERE.

If you wish to object to, or support the application, you can do so by writing to: The Licensing Office, Town Hall, Brighton Street, Wallasey CH44 8ED.  Alternatively you can email your comments to: licensing@wirral.gov.uk    All representations must be submitted by the 02nd September, 2010.  Please ensure that you quote ‘The Crossbar’ in your communication.

The application will be decided by Wirral’s Licensing Panel sometime in September, watch the blog for news of that date.  The meeting will be open to the public, alternatively you can ask the Licensing office to notify you when the application will be heard by the licensing panel.

Tesco Express at The Plough to be Approved?

Next Tuesday (1oth August), Wirral’s Planning Committee will decide if the Tesco Express planning application on the site of the Plougn Pub will go ahead or not.     Wirral’s Planning Officers are recommending that the application should be approved, albeit with a huge amount of conditions, many of which are traffic related.    You can read the full report by clicking here  

The application was deferred for a site visit at my request, and that site visit will be held at 12:30pm next Monday 9th August prior to the decision being made.   You can read  what the Wirral Globes says by clicking here

Crossbar – For The Avoidance of Doubt!

This morning after I had been out delivering letters on the Millhouse estate I wandered around the shops in Moreton, whilst I was on my walkabout  I was verbally attacked by previous customers of the Plough saying I had stopped Ray (Navarro) getting a license for the Crossbar on Upton Road.   

Now lets get one thing straight.   THE ONLY PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LICENSE BEING REFUSED IS RAMON NAVARRO.   HIS NAME WAS ON THE APPLICATION AND THE POLICE SUBMITTED A HORRENDOUS REPRESENTATION MAKING IT CLEAR THEY WOULD NOT SUPPORT AN APPLICATION THAT MEANT NAVARRO HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE PREMISES.     I have that police representation, and up to now I have resisted the temptation to put it in the public domain, however my patience is now running a little thin, and if these attacks continue I will post it.

Strange that at the application hearing the other applicant and the tenant made great efforts to say Ramon Navarro would have absolutely nothing to do with the running of the Crossbar!   Clearly not what the former Plough customers think if what they said to me this morning was true.      Its clear that they believe that the Crossbar is the new Plough!

Tesco Express at the Plough?

Last Tuesday, at my request Wirral’s Planning Committee deferred making a decision on the application made by Tesco’s, to demolish the Plough Public House and build a Tesco Express Store on the site.      Sadly I could not attend the meeting because I was in Bournemouth at a  Local Government Association Conference (LGA), however I did take part in a telephone interview on the Roger Phillips Phone in.    You can hear what I said by clicking HERE  (16 minutes 30 seconds in)

The site visit will take place at 12:30pm on Monday 9th August with the committee then making its decision on the application at its meeting on Tuesday 10th August.     The meeting starts at 6pm at Wallasey Town Hall and is open to the public.

Crossbar, Moreton

Readers of the blog, and the wider Moreton community will be aware that an application had been submitted to the Council to open a  Sports Bar (Crossbar) at the premises formerly known as Sorellas, 17 Upton Road, Moreton CH46 0PA  

The application seeks to serve alcohol Sunday’s to Thursday’s from 10am until 11:30pm and on Friday’s and Saturday’s from 10am until 00:30.  With the premises open to the public, Sunday’s to Thursday’s 10am until 12 midnight, and on Friday’s and Saturday’s from 10am until 1am.   (Although I understand the applicant, on police advice may be reducing the late hours on a Friday and Saturday) 

Wirral’s Licensing Panel will be considering this application on Thursday 29th July at Wallasey Town Hall.     The meeting is open to the public, and will start at 10am or as soon as possible thereafter.     If you have sent in your comments to the Licensing Section, and you wish to speak at the hearing  then come along to the meeting.      Alternatively if you wish me to speak on your behalf you must notify the Councils Licensing Department  of that.    You can do that by emailing:  licensing@wirral.gov.uk, or write to them at:  Wallasey Town Hall ,Brighton Street , Wallasey CH44 8ED, making it clear that you give permission for me to speak on your behalf on the Crossbar application.

Tesco at the Plough – Recommended for Approval!

Readers of the blog and the wider Moreton community will be aware that Tesco’s have applied for permission to demolish the Plough Public House and build a Tesco Express on the site.     I have just seen the report that Wirral’s Planning Officers have produced their recommendation to approve the application.   You can read that report by clicking HERE

Last Friday I attended a meeting of local businesses and residents.   It was clear that all those at that meeting opposed the application.   Read more on that here.    You can also read what the wirral Globe has to say by clicking here.

Tesco’s at the Plough?

Earlier this evening I attended a public meeting at Paninos Coffe Shop in Moreton.   The meeting, to discuss the planning application for a Tesco Express on the site of the Plough, was called by local traders, and it was well attended with around 60 people, both from businesses and the local community.    It was clear that all those in attendance were opposed to the application.       In my role as a Councillor, I was able to advise on the planning process and valid reasons for objecting to the application.    As a way forward I suggested it would be worth asking for a site visit, when the application is to be considered by Wirral’s Planning Committee on Tuesday 6th July.    For more news on this, watch this space………

Not for Me Thanks!

Readers may recall my posting a few days ago about the possibility of a new Sports Bar (The Crossbar) being opened on the site of the former Sorella’s Wine bar in Upton Road.   It appears that the Council has granted what are known as ‘Temporary Event Notices’ (TEN’s) to the applicant whilst they wait for their licensing application to be heard sometime mid to late July.  

The TEN’s are valid I am told for the following days Friday 18th through to Monday 21st June (Incl) Wednesday 23rd through to Saturday 26th June (Incl), 28th June through to the 01st July (incl), and 3rd July to 5th July (incl), a total of 15 days licensable activities.  On each day the premises can be open from 10am until 12 midnight.        

I hear that there has beeen some police activity at the premises and I understand an arrest?      Now normally I would just alert people to the application, as I did in my original posting and If necessary I may make afew comments myself to the Licensing Department about the application, as I have done on this occasion but only in relation to the late hours requested for a Friday and Saturday nights.     However in view of the police intervention on a temporary license, already, and because I have had sight of the damning police representation to the permanent  license application, I will be changing my comments to the Licensing Department and I will be asking Wirral’s Licensing Panel not to grant a license to the applicants for a license at these premises.