The Licensing Sub-Committee met to discuss an application from the Corinthian Casuals Football Club for a new premises licence. The club was seeking to extend its licensable area to cover the entire site at King George's Recreation Ground, and to extend its hours for the sale of alcohol and provision of recorded music. After hearing from the applicant and local residents, the sub-committee adjourned to make a decision, which will be confirmed to all parties by email within five working days.

Licensing application: Corinthian Casuals Football Club

The sub-committee considered an application for a new premises licence for the Corinthian Casuals Football Club, King George's Recreation Ground, Queen Mary Close, Surbiton, KT67NA.

Binnie Day, the Licensing Officer, introduced the application, explaining that the club was seeking to extend its existing premises licence to cover the entire site. The application requested permission to:

• Sell alcohol for consumption on the premises:
  • Sunday to Thursday from 11:00 to 23:00
  • Friday and Saturday from 11:00 to 01:00 the following morning
  • The sale of alcohol from the outdoor bar, when in use, would end at 22:00
• Provide recorded music, both indoors and outdoors:
  • Sundays to Thursdays from 11:00 to 23:00
  • Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00 to 01:00 the following morning
  • The provision of recorded music outdoors would also end at 22:00
• Provide late night refreshments, Friday and Saturday from 23:00 to 01:00 the following morning
• Extend the hours for all licensable activities and opening hours to 02:30 the following morning on New Year's Eve

According to the Public Reports Pack, representations from the Metropolitan Police had been withdrawn after the applicant agreed to amend their operating schedule to address police concerns.

Applicant summary

Jason Chillerie, the applicant, summarised the application, explaining that he was applying for a 30-minute extension to the club's existing licence due to improvements made over the summer. He stated that the club had invested heavily to improve facilities, and had an application in with building planning to build a niner side and some paddle courts. He also noted that the club had extended the on-site parking to around 50 spaces, with additional parking available on the grass beyond that.

Mr Chillerie explained that the outside bar was built to alleviate congestion within the clubhouse during the summer months, and that the extension to the licensing hours on Friday and Saturday would only be used at the club's discretion. He also stated that the club needed to find another avenue to self-fund, as the level of football they played was non-league.

In response to the objections, Mr Chillerie said that the club had not had any complaints about antisocial behaviour in recent years, and that they limited hire-outs to a maximum of 100 people. He also stated that the club sold soft drinks and had a number of bins on site, and that they served drinks in plastic glasses on match days and did not allow drinks off site.

Councillor Robert Dongsung Kim asked about parking facilities at the premises. Mr Chillerie responded that there were approximately 50 parking spaces, with additional grass parking available in the summer. He added that the club also had use of the Scouts Parking Facility, and directed people to the bowls and the industrial estate where there was a pathway to walk through.

Representations from other persons

Vicky Harris addressed the sub-committee, stating that she was very supportive of the Corinthian Casuals and what they were doing, but was concerned about the impact on local residents. She noted that the site was located right on top of a residential area, and that traffic and parking had a huge impact on the area. She stated that on a recent Tuesday evening, it had taken her 10 minutes to get out of Queen Mary Close due to parked cars. She also raised concerns about litter on King George's fields and noise and antisocial behaviour associated with licensed premises.

Stephen Griffiths reiterated many of the points made by Ms Harris, stating that he had friends who lived in Queen Mary Close who had experienced traffic problems. He also raised concerns about noise from parties and music, and the potential for the venue to turn into a mini nightclub .

In closing remarks, Ms Harris said that the area was not suitable for any major expansion, and that extending the licensing would only add to the problems that currently existed.

Mr Chillerie responded to the points raised, stating that there was a clear path that was always maintained for cars to come up and down Queen Mary Close, and that he would feed back to the club if the parking area of King George's fields was being misused. He also stated that two of the houses on Queen Mary Close were occupied by bar staff who worked for the club. He reiterated that the club was not looking to be a nightclub or a late-night venue, and that the additional requests were not a public notice to say to people what they were doing, but just for the club to have as an ad hoc basis.

The sub-committee then withdrew to make its decision, which would be confirmed to all parties by email, with the full decision notice and reasons sent within five working days.