Plans for later hours at Rathbone Street pub abandoned after local residents object

An application for later drinking hours and live music at a pub in Rathbone Street has been ditched after objections from people living nearby.

Mitchells and Butlers Leisure Retail Ltd had applied to Westminster City Council to vary its premises licence for the Marquis of Granby at 2 Rathbone Street in Fitzrovia West so that alcohol could be served and live music played until 11.30pm from Monday to Wednesday and to midnight from Thursday to Saturday.

After receiving more than 10 objections from neighbouring residents who complained that the pub was already noisy with people spilling out and blocking the pavements, the applicant modified the application and is now only requesting an earlier start to sales on Sunday and some minor amendments to conditions on the licence.

A submission on behalf of the applicant to a Westminster Council licensing sub-committee responded to the issues raised by the residents, saying:

“The applicant acknowledges these concerns and will continue to sell alcohol responsibly. The applicant was not aware of any of the concerns raised prior to this application and has since instructed staff to increase the monitoring of the external area when in use, and customer behaviour, intervening where necessary to help prevent nuisance, disorder or obstruction.”

Solicitors for the applicant wrote to the objectors explaining that the application “for later alcohol hours and late-night refreshment, and for live music, had been withdrawn”.

As a result many of the objections made were withdrawn on the basis that the applicant had listened and responded to the concerns raised.

Objections were also submitted by Westminster Council’s environmental health officers and the Metropolitan Police. Both objections were withdrawn after the applicant modified the application.

Fitzrovia — which has hundreds of licensed premises including more than 40 pubs — has since 2020 experienced an increasing number of applications for later hours for alcohol as well as a steady stream of new premises licence applications as the neighbourhood’s retail shopping offer has declined and been replaced by a larger hospitality sector.

In 2024 a report for Westminster Council stated that alcohol consumption is a significant contributor to criminal activities and violence. However, it is rare for new applications for licensed premises to be refused.

A licensing sub-committee on 19 November will make for a decision on the application.

Westminster City Council, licensing sub-committee: Thursday 19 November 2026: Marquis of Granby, 2 Rathbone Street, London W1T 1NR.