A Wembley premises is looking to open a ‘fan zone style’ outdoor beer garden for fans attending events held at the stadium. The Stadium Yard Bar wants to sell food and drink, as well provide large TV screens to play sporting fixtures and live music.
First Class Sports Ltd has applied to Brent Council for an alcohol licence to host events on Wembley Stadium event days only at the area on Kingswood Road. The application is for the sale of alcohol between the opening hours of 9am to 11pm Sunday to Thursday, and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.
The premises have been used for similar purposes in the past. There have already been 12 held at the location since the beginning of the year, which have operated under Temporary Event Notices (TENs).
The company is now looking for a full licence, with the premises only opening on days where events are being held at Wembley Stadium.
As part of the plans, First Class Sports wants to be able to live stream the events happening at Wembley Stadium on large screens placed within the seating areas.
However, this has been met with opposition by council officers and the Metropolitan Police. Both parties want to add a condition to the licence so that no live televised domestic or international football matches can be shown on the premises as it will encourage ticketless fans.
PC Phil Graves said: “The venue applied for would in effect be a fan zone style application, enticing football fans and other customers attending Wembley Stadium for large scale events.
“The conditions on this licence will need to take into account that the venue falls within the footprint of the national stadium, which suffered riots [at the Euro 2020 final]. These riots were broadcast world-wide and brought shame upon the stadium and the borough of Brent.”
To prevent any risk of violence, council licensing officers also want to add further conditions: including only allowing one set of football fans in the premises at any time; fans must show a valid match day ticket before being granted entry; stop serving alcohol an hour before kick off until 15 minutes after the game has started; no sale of alcohol for consumption off-premises; and limit alcohol sales from 10am until 10pm Monday to Sunday and until 10:30pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Stadium Yard Bar also wants to host ‘occasional live music performances’, however, as long as it takes place between 8am and 11pm and has fewer than 500 people attending it is not deemed to be a licensable activity by the council.
But the Licensing Authority is concerned about noise levels due to the sites close proximity to residential homes.
Officers stated: “As alcohol consumption increases, the volume levels of conversation also rise, which could disturb residents towards the latter part of the evening.
“A 9am start time could also disturb residents during the weekend. While I appreciate that the application states an earlier closing time compared to other licensed premises in the area, this is negated by the fact that the licensable area is entirely outside.”
The site, which is roughly 15 minutes from the stadium, covers an area of around 1,000sqm and will comprise multiple tented areas for standing and seating, alongside a food stall, and bars serving beer, wine, and spirits.
As well as the main bar, there are additional bar areas under tents to provide an overflow service to reduce congestion at the main bar.
Throughout the premises there are multiple seating areas with picnic-style tables, a proportion of which would be covered to provide shelter from the weather.
Plans have been designed to accommodate around 180 customers, with portable toilets placed at the far end of the site.
A decision on whether to approve the application will be determined by Brent Council’s Alcohol and Entertainment Licensing Sub-Committee on August 29.
