Haringey (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Haringey Councillors have rejected a bid by a floating bar on the River Lee Navigation to serve alcohol, citing concerns over public safety and disruption.
In order to sell alcohol on the grounds of a converted yacht named De Zwann, the proprietors of Post Bar on the Water had sought for a license.
Although the applicant, The Post Tottenham Ltd., who also own and run The Post Bar on Tottenham High Road, intended to trade on the Haringey council-managed section of the river, De Zwann has a permanent mooring at the Stonebridge South mooring area.
The application suggested arranging many tables and chairs next to the boat during trading hours in areas like Hale Wharf, where there is “natural public space available” and the towpath widens.
However, members of the council’s licensing sub-committee voted to refuse the application.
In its verdict, the committee said:
“Without a major change in position by the Canal & River Trust [CRT, who manage the river] any licence granted could not be implemented.
It [the committee] considered granting a licence conditioned to become operative only upon all relevant CRT licences and approvals being obtained, but felt that it was impractical to draft conditions to try to anticipate the form such licences and approvals would take.
The panel was also conscious that any approval for a location other than the immediate area of Lock 17 [Hale Wharf] would potentially carry different implications for the advancement of the licensing objectives.”
Since the trust, not the council, was in charge of managing the river, licensing team leader Daliah Barrett claimed at the hearing that the owners had put the “cart before the horse” by failing to get approval from the CRT first.
The committee also mentioned in its decision notice that the CRT, the noise team, and the Metropolitan Police had all raised objections based on “drinking near water” and public safety.
The installation of CCTV, a log book, music volume control, and CRT’s approval to permanently moor the vessel were among the requirements the police wanted set in place.
The De Zwann was “only licensed for leisure purposes,” according to the CRT’s written answer to the application, and the trust was unable to “support” the owner’s application for a roving trader license to sell alcohol.
According to the CRT, a “fixed location trade boat” would be the only “viable model,” and they did not think the area close to Lock 17 was a suitable place to moor.
What reasons did Haringey Councillors give for rejecting the boat bar bid?
The boat’s proximity to dangerous lock infrastructure and riverfront areas, which pose high risks for accidents and fatalities if alcohol is served.
The towpath near the boat is a heavily trafficked public right of way, and placing tables and chairs there creates trip hazards and obstructs pedestrians and cyclists.
The area around Stonebridge Lock already suffers from persistent anti-social behaviour, which the alcohol licence and bar operations were expected to worsen.
The boat vessel itself was unlicensed, raising issues about safety, maintenance, insurance, and emergency procedures.