Sussex Police wanted to force Northern Lights, on Little East Street, to close at 11pm, after claiming the venue had breached its conditions as it was operating as a “vertical drinking establishment” rather than being food-led.
It also claimed there had been failures by management at preventing crime and disorder at the premises.
However, a licensing panel at Brighton & Hove Council ruled that the pub could keep the same licence, with a few minor amendments.
The venue must now have available seating for 80% of its capacity, stop serving alcohol at 1am on weekends and only allow drinking outside before 11pm.
'Aggressive'
Northern Lights manager Pauliina Talvensaari said she was “delighted” with the decision but was disappointed with the police’s “aggressive” approach and found their claims regarding crime at the pub and the pub not being food-led “insulting”.
“Closing at 11pm would have been awful for us. Our selling point is that a big group can come and have a meal at 8pm and then stay in the same place drinking for the rest of the night. We have six different menus and a whole wall dedicated to the food we serve,” she told the Publican’s Morning Advertiser.
“We’re in the middle of Brighton and in seven years we have only had to call the police twice. I don’t think that’s bad for crime when the streets are like a war-zone at the weekends.
“I am pleased it has been recognised that the police approach wasn’t in line with working in partnership. It felt like they had made a verdict and then came to the venue to check they could support it, rather than investigate first.”
Petition
Talvensaari said a customer petition, which gained 7,000 signatures in the four days before the petition, was instrumental in helping the council see that “the way police described the venue did not reflect reality”.
Sussex Police said it is waiting for the written documentation from the licensing committee for the reasons given for the decision, and refused to provide further comment.