A sports bar has lost its bid to open an outdoor bar and show live sport on big screens in its beer garden.

Managers at the King's Head in Gravesend had hoped to extend the premises but concerns were raised about a number of issues around crime prevention and protecting the public.

The licensing panel hearing held at Gravesham council was given details about the application on March 5 which requested permission to serve alcohol until 2.30am on Fridays and Saturdays in the new outdoor area.

Ismail Sucu, the applicant, had also asked for the bar to serve until midnight on the other five days of the week at the venue in King Street.

The existing licence allows alcohol to be served until 2.30am on Friday and Saturday nights and midnight on all other nights apart from Sunday nights when time is called at 12.30am.

Police had initially raised concerns about the duration of the license application and proposed for a limitation to use the new outside bar until 10pm every night.

A list of incidents presented by police recorded 35 incidents to have taken place at the premises since 2019.

Mr Sucu disputed the number saying several of the incidents had been called in by doorstaff at the King's Head following incidents on the street outside the premises.

He said in emails to licensing officers as the majority of sporting events were finished by 10pm it was expected noise relating to matches would be minimal. He also said screens would be kept on silent in the outside areas.

But police said the premises effectively became a late night dancing venue with DJ and dancefloor and associated increase in alcohol consumption after operating as a sports bar during the day.

The force's licensing officer also noted the King's Head was classified in the top tier of the incident risk register.

Mr Sucu challenged the number of residences listed in proximity to the bar after concerns were raised about mitigation of noise for neighbours.

Police said late opening times of an outside bar would lead to increase in nuisance as well as more crime and disorder and the existing management levels in place would not reduce that risk.

Environmental services from the council also argued the request for an outside bar and servery was inappropriate in the daytime and night time.

The department said there would be amplified noise for neighbouring residential and commercial buildings from the outside area.

Previous noise issues had been addressed by the condition of an acoustic external door which council officers felt would be more difficult to enforce with the addition of an outside bar.

Council officers said they felt measures suggested by the bar to deal with public nuisance was not sufficient.

The panel dismissed the application on four grounds.

It was felt the bar's management had not addressed the prevention of crime and disorder by putting in place a plan to prevent issues occurring both on and off the premises after customers had left.

Councillors said the protection of public safety had not been considered fully including a lack of additional door supervisors and use of a locked gate as a fire exit for the new outside bar area.

Two further concerns were issued around the prevention of public nuisance – not putting forward proposals for increased service space in the new area leading to additional noise issues for residents and extending the use of the outside area making it more difficult for the external acoustic door to be monitored as a result of its increased use.

The panel said Mr Sucu had not been able to suggest any mitigating conditions to overcome this issue.

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