Bexhill bar takes steps to respond to police concerns

On Friday (November 13), a panel of Rother District councillors met to consider an application from Sussex Police to review the licence of The Devonshire Bar and Lounge in Devonshire Square.

Sussex Police had been calling for earlier closing hours for the bar, as well as a forced temporary closure and the removal of the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) Mr Sokol Kapllani.

But as the hearing began, councillors heard that Sussex Police and the Premises Licence Holder Gino Forte had come to an agreement on an alternative way forward, following a voluntary closure and the removal of Mr Kapllani as leaseholder.

Peter Savill, a lawyer acting for the force, said: “As the point has been made already, the DPS has gone, so you don’t have to remove him. 

“He is, so far as the police are concerned, the real lightning rod in this case. He is the catalyst for the problems that have been experienced in the premises. 

“His lease of the premises has been forfeited so there is no prospect of him coming back to the premises. That is an important material development.”

As a result of Mr Kapllani’s removal, Mr Savill said Sussex Police were no longer seeking a reduction in hours to the same level.

Rather than a reduction from 2am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, it had been agreed to reduce hours to 1am instead. There would also be a new last entry condition, meaning no  new customers would be allowed to enter the premises after 12.30am on these nights. 

There would be no change at all to the hours on other nights, with the bar allowed to stay open until midnight, but with a last entry condition of 11.30pm.

All the other additional conditions requested by police were agreed as in the original application, except for a minor amendment over what constitutes a major sporting event.

This suggested arrangement did not sit well with ward councillor Christine Bayliss (Lab), however, who argued for earlier closing hours on a provisional basis, until it was clear the problems had been resolved.

She said: “It’s a well-loved, well-used pub and I don’t want to stop it being a pub. I want it to continue.

“But I think given the circumstances of the awful disturbance and nuisance residents have suffered that we should stick to the hours in the application and do not go to one in the morning please.”

She argued that this could initially be on provisional basis.

However, James Rankin, a barrister acting on behalf of Mr Forte, argued against any further reduction in opening hours, even on a temporary basis.

He said: “It is tempting, I know, for Cllr Bayliss to say let’s put them on probation. That I am afraid this ignores commercial reality. 

“For a premises such as this, where you are attracting people to come and eat there, or for people to come after they have eaten elsewhere, you need a slightly later opening hour than a public house.

“If it opens at only half-cock, in other words if opens just with the restricted hour of 11 o’clock, as Cllr Bayliss urges, then the commercial realities mean the premises is unable to trade effectively.

“They require the additional hours as agreed between the police and ourselves.”

Mr Rankin also detailed how the bar is to remain closed until at least March and will undergo a £100,000 refurbishment and rebranding in the meantime. 

The refurbishment will include the installation of a new and beefed-up CCTV system. 

After hearing from all those involved, councillors retired to consider their decision in a private session. Their verdict is expected to be published within the next five working days.