Westminster Council has given permission for a gaming bar on Oxford Street to stay open until 2am, despite being warned it could result in more crime, disorder and public nuisance on the busy shopping street.
BBB Thirteen Ltd applied in December 2023 to vary the premises licence for its Boom Battle Bar at 70-88 Oxford Street to stay open an extra two hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. It will continue to close at 11.30pm on other nights and 10.30pm on Sundays.
Representations were received from the Licensing Authority and the Environmental Health Service on the basis that the premises is located within the West End Cumulative Impact Zone, where there already a large number of licensed premises.
A council report submitted to a licensing sub-committee of 14 March stated: “In its current form the applicant has not provided any additional measures or conditions to demonstrate that the granting of this application will not add to cumulative impact and on that basis the Licensing Authority [makes a] formal representation [against the application].”
The council’s environmental health team also opposed the proposal, saying: “The granting of the variation as presented would have the likely effect of causing an increase in public nuisance in the cumulative impact zone.”
BBB Thirteen Ltd provided the council with a dispersal policy that would see patrons given a 30 minute notice before closing time.
The plan included having staff advising customers where to leave, hiring qualified security guards, enforcing a “drinking up time” policy 30 minutes before close and keeping windows and entrance doors shut to keep the noise down.
The owner wrote: “It is our legal obligation to ensure that we prevent crime and disorder and public nuisance on our premises, as people are leaving our premises and make their way along Oxford Street.
“As a business we value our reputation, want to have good relationships with our neighbours, care for our clients, want to work in partnership with the statutory authorities and are committed to trading within the law while maintaining the highest possible ethical standards in all our business activities.”
According to its website, Boom Battle Bar offers shuffleboard, pool and augmented reality darts and axe-throwing as well as karaoke booths. They have bars across Britain and one in the United Arab Emirates.
A Westminster Council licensing sub-committee of Councillor Aziz Toki (Chair), Councillor Iman Less and Councillor Caroline Sargent considered the application during the licensing meeting.
After hearing representations from the applicant, the sub-committee agree to extend the hours for licensable activities, including the sale of alcohol for consumption on and off the premises from 10am to 2am the following morning on Thursday to Saturday
A number of conditions were added to the licence or modified to make the application acceptable.
These included:
“The provision of licensable activities shall be ancillary to the main function of the premises as a Competitive Socialising Venue”;
“Within three months of starting work at the premises, all front of house staff at the premises shall receive Welfare and Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) training or similar by a qualified trainer, and once every 12 months thereafter. The date the training was provided and signed confirmation from the member of staff shall be recorded and made available for inspection by the Responsible Authorities upon request”;
“After 18:00 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the premises shall deploy a minimum of 3 SIA door supervisors regardless of customer attendance numbers”;
And, “There shall be no new entry to the premises by customers after 11.30pm on Thursdays and after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.”
Westminster City Council: Licensing Sub-Committee (1) – Thursday 14 March 2024.
Additional reporting by Linus Rees.