They’ve gagged us – protesters

Sep 14 2007 by Dave Black, The Journal

PROTESTERS have been left furious by a council’s handling of their campaign against a drinks licence being granted to a new £1m restaurant in a Northumberland commuter village.

Almost 80 people in Ponteland objected to the licence for the 200-seat Italian eaterie at Bell Villa – claiming it will effectively double as a pub for up to 90 drinkers and be out of place in an area where most residents are elderly.

Now protesters say they are “incensed” at the way they were dealt with at a meeting of Castle Morpeth Council’s licensing sub-committee, which granted the licence for Fratelli’s restaurant until 11.30pm.

They had submitted a letter claiming the licence application was invalid and should be rejected under the council’s own rules, because planning issues had not been resolved by the authority.

But they say their “irrefutable” case was brushed aside on a technicality and claim they were prevented from making an official statement to the sub-committee. Objectors are also furious that their three official representatives were allowed just two minutes each to outline their case while the applicants’ solicitors were given unlimited time to argue in favour of the licence.

The hearing, which was scheduled to potentially go into a second day because of the number of objectors, was concluded in just 90 minutes.

Retired university lecturer Dr Colin Campbell, who lives next door to the new restaurant in Cecil Court, said: “This episode is an absolutely disgraceful example of incompetence and partiality on the part of a council.

“We were effectively gagged from making a statement about the licensing application being invalid and then the three speakers delegated to represent the 77 objectors were unnecessarily and unreasonably restricted by the committee chairman when it came to presenting their case.’’

Company director David Elliott of Mayfair Gardens, another member of the local residents’ coordinating group, said: “People were absolutely incensed after the hearing. This matter is far from dead and we are now looking at the options which are open to us.

“We feel we were positively prevented from putting our point of view across by the chairman, who refused to give us adequate time.”

Licensing sub-committee chairman Coun Kay Morris said she felt objectors had been given adequate time to make their points.

She added: “I firmly believe that the residents had a fair hearing.”

A Castle Morpeth Council spokesman said the only outstanding planning issue regarding Fratelli’s restaurant had been a proposal for a mezzanine floor, but this element had been removed from the alcohol licence application on the day of the hearing.

It has now been approved by the council, but the restaurant owners will have to apply for a separate drinks licence to cover that part of the building. He said the council did not wish to comment on the objectors’ complaints about the lack of time they were given to state their case at the hearing.