Tower Hamlets police fight jazz bar's bid to stay open till dawn

POLICE are hoping to block plans for an East End jazz bar and restaurant to stay open into the early hours of the morning. Liberty Lounge in Bell Lane in Spitalfields has applied for permission to extend its licence which would involve staying open unti

POLICE are hoping to block plans for an East End jazz bar and restaurant to stay open into the early hours of the morning.

Liberty Lounge in Bell Lane in Spitalfields has applied for permission to extend its licence which would involve staying open until 3am and selling late night refreshments between Wednesdays and Saturdays.

There would be live jazz music on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, recorded music until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays and it would be open until 22.40 during the rest of the week.

But PC Alan Cruickshank has called the request "excessive" and has suggested that the restaurant which is in a basement below a shop stays open until midnight.

In a letter to Tower Hamlets council, PC Cruickshank said: "If the premise was to open past midnight I think there may be a danger of anti-social behaviour with people leaving the venue probably in high spirits or by just remaining around the street causing a public nuisance in the early hours of the morning."

Owner Rachid Radi insists he runs a "quiet bar and restaurant" which attracts city workers and jazz fans and is not situated near any residential properties which would "minimise the chance of it causing a nuisance to those around us".

The council's planning officers have also objected to the application.

The application will be discussed by the council's Licensing Sub Committee on Thursday night (19).