How to deal with problems related to licensed premises
Reporting Incidents
Aside from urgent matters requiring immediate police attention, you should report to Lewisham Council incidents which contravene the four licensing objectives which are - preventing crime and disorder, public nuisance, protecting children from harm and public safety.
You can email Crime Enforcement and Regulation on cer@lewisham.gov.uk with details and please copy this to licensing@lewisham.gov.uk and us at office@blackheath.org. You can also call CER on 020 8314 7237. This number is only manned during work hours, but you can leave a voicemail with your name, contact number and a brief description of any incident.
You can contact the police, who keep their own log of incidents to help them plan their presence: call 999 in an emergency or 101 if not. This number is a police call centre in Lambeth and information will be passed to our local police.
Background
There sometimes seems to be a mismatch between what residents experience about licensing hours at pubs and restaurants in Blackheath Village and what the authorities have on record. Local authority Licensing committees – which grant licences and changes to licences - have shown a tendency to give more weight to official records than statements from residents, so it is important to register incidents with both Lewisham Council and the police.
Where possible it is worth complaining to the premises themselves, and keeping a note of such complaints.
Why reporting is important
It is important to log incidents for two reasons: to support the CIZ (see below) and for any future applications for new licences or changes to existing licences, since the licensing authority and the police need good information.
Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ): between 10 and 15 years ago there were a large number of applications for late opening in Blackheath. The Society worked with residents, councillors and Lewisham to get such a zone instituted as it sets a higher bar for licensing applications. This has maintained a balance for the last decade. However, it is not permanent and is reviewed from time to time, so it is very important that any problems are recorded.
You can also contact our police Safer Neighbourhoods Team. While they welcome information, their contact details are for non-emergency only and there may be delays in responding: phone: 07768 178292, e-mail: Blackheath@met.police.uk and Twitter: @MPSBlackhthLee.
If you are frequently affected by incidents related to licensed premises you should also keep a diary with the date, time, details of the incident and the licensed premises. This is valuable evidence.
