Waltham Forest Council issued the ruling after residents complained about customers’ children “trespassing their gardens” and “damaging cars”, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter
A Walthamstow pub must follow new rules after nearby residents complained about “noisy” children.
The operators of the Castle pub went before Waltham Forest Council’s licensing committee yesterday to address concerns about the havoc allegedly being caused by customers’ children.
Some 144 comments were submitted to the council ahead of the review, and while more than half were in support of the “community asset” pub, councillors ultimately imposed eight new conditions.
The Castle’s management says it “welcomed the council’s decision and recognised the importance of respecting the interests and concerns of our neighbours”.
Residents who backed the review said that children running free in their street was impacting their mental health. They said that their gardens had been trespassed into and their cars had been damaged in the past.
In their official application for the licence review, they said: “We are reasonable people and we recognise the value of the pub as a meeting place in the community, especially when so many are closing. We want the Castle to remain a part of the neighbourhood.
“However, we shouldn’t have to put up with such behaviour right outside where we live, in a quiet residential area.”
“We aren’t asking for the landlord to lose his licence,” they said. “We are simply asking for some reasonable measures to be implemented so that we don’t feel intimidated or overwhelmed outside our own homes.”
In response, the committee ruled that children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult “at all times” and must be gone from the pub by 9pm.
The management will also need to keep a detailed record of complaints, give residents a dedicated phone number to call to complain, and maintain an outdoor management plan that covers “noise, obstruction, nuisance, unsafe behaviour, complaints and staffing”.
However, the committee did not support some of campaigners’ requested conditions: a “strict ban” on people standing and drinking outside and for a bouncer to be stationed outside every weekend to “enforce boundaries” and prevent antisocial behaviour.
During a heated meeting on Tuesday morning (3rd November), patrons and locals came out in defence of the pub, which has stood in Grosvenor Rise East for 168 years.
They “disagreed very strongly” with the accusations there was “zero appropriate oversight,” echoing locals’ descriptions of attentive staff who kept patrons feeling safe and listened-to.
Another described children playing in the street by the pub as a “very soft, gentle, and joyous environment” even though they could be “boisterous”.
The committee also heard from a local mum-of-three, who said that newly installed signage asking residents to mind their children had been effective. Ultimately, the council made it a formal condition for the pub to mark the outside areas with “signs and removable barriers”.
Following the hearing, the pub’s manager Adam told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Since the pedestrianisation of the area outside the Castle as part of the Mini Holland scheme, the pub has become an increasingly popular family-friendly meeting place for the local community.
“I am very grateful to the many local residents who wrote in support of the Castle. I welcome the council’s decision and recognise the importance of respecting the interests and concerns of our neighbours.
“I believe the additional licence conditions will enable The Castle to continue to be a valued community hub while addressing those concerns.”
The Castle describes itself online as a “traditional pub in the heart of Walthamstow Village,” serving food until 9pm and drinks until 11pm.
Read more: The pints and prams debate
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