Councillor Joanna Biddolph has lodged a strong objection to the application for a pop-up bar on Gunnersbury Lane during the Lovebox/Citadel festivals. Her email to the licensing department of Hounslow council is below.
I understand that comments on this application have now been put together but I wanted to write to give my very strongest objection it. It is opportunistic and insensitive and has no place here, during Lovebox/Citadel or any other time.
Gunnersbury Lane is the major route from Acton Town station to Gunnersbury Park and tens of thousands of people will be walking along it on all three days of these festivals. Last year, with 110,000 people in total attending these festivals, the disruption to Hounslow residents was immense. They raised very strong objections to the event taking place again because of that disruption. The disruption was caused not just by the volume of people in one small area but also because of the noise and behaviour from people under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
To add to the mix a pop-up bar, in a location that is below people living in flats above the garage and its neighbouring shops, houses behind it in the Gunnersbury Park Garden Estate conservation area and beside it on the road that is the route to the festivals, and opposite it (in Ealing, this road is the boundary between the two boroughs) would be more than insulting.
On a more practical level, Acton Service Centre is a garage. It is next to Sainsbury’s which sells off licence alcoholic and other drinks at shop prices. Two shops along is a family-friendly Italian restaurant selling alcoholic drinks (this is a medium range restaurant and drinks are reasonably priced). A couple of shops along is a pizza restaurant selling alcoholic and other drinks (again, at reasonable prices. A fish and chip shop selling soft drinks. A Persian restaurant selling alcoholic and other drinks (reasonably priced). A wine bar (obviously selling alcoholic and other drinks at reasonable prices). There is also an independent supermarket selling off licence drinks at normal supermarket prices.
On the other side of the road is a local shop selling acoholic off licence and other drinks (as a corner shop, they are at prices to maximise sales) and an Indian restaurant selling alcoholic drinks (also reasonably priced).
Last year, noise made by people hanging around outside and underneath people’s homes caused huge disturbance. It was clear many had either been drinking or taking drugs or both. There are more than enough outlets for buying alchohol in this residential area.
I hope the panel will refuse this application.
