An Eltham-based football club will be allowed to extend its clubhouse opening hours for World Cup games, though a strict 11pm curfew will apply regardless of whether matches have ended. AFC Lewisham initially sought to keep the Gresham Sports Ground clubhouse open until 11.30pm throughout the international tournament, plus an additional 12 days, and to extend these hours if the football was going on later than expected.
However, Greenwich Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee B, which considered the application on 9 June, decided to grant an opening hour extension, but declared that the clubhouse must close at 11pm whether games are finished or not. The decision followed strong objections from nearby residents, with one saying she had “suffered” through many previous AFC Lewisham events that she could hear in her own home. One former councillor suggested AFC Lewisham was “incompatible” with the wider community.
Speaking at the committee meeting, AFC Lewisham club secretary Josephine Mayendesa said the application was primarily to allow club members to socialise and be together for the World Cup games. She said the club did not typically attract members of the public. In regards to concerns raised around noise, AFC Lewisham chairman Phillemon Mashaga said the club would be employing plenty of staff during the games who would ensure noise was kept to a suitable level. He also explained that the club had undertaken significant soundproofing measures over the past few years.
Mr Mashaga added: “I think there won’t be any issues at all. They’ll be basically coming to watch football and when it’s done they will all go home quietly and peacefully.” Ms Mayendesa told the committee that the club had CCTV, staff would tell patrons to keep their voices down upon dispersal and IDs were checked so no one under the age of 18 is served alcohol. She said: “We do take measures to make sure that we don’t upset our neighbours. We want to live in harmony, so we do take action and make sure everything is in place in terms of noise control.”
The applicants also explained why they had asked for the licence to cover the World Cup plus an extra 12 days. Ms Mayendesa said the extra days would give the club the ability to host more events over the summer, such as funerals, without having to apply for more Temporary Event Notices (TENs). They also estimated that more popular games, such as England matches, would attract between 100 and 110 people.
Cllr Sandra Bauer spoke on behalf of residents negatively affected by AFC Lewisham events. She said: “This is not an objection to the club existing, nor to the positive role it can play in the community. My concern is that the events currently being hosted are already causing serious disruption to the neighbouring residents and this raises real doubts as to whether an expanded licence can be managed responsibly.” Cllr Bauer claimed AFC Lewisham patrons had parked on or blocked nearby driveways “on several occasions” which meant people couldn’t leave their homes. She said she had received multiple complaints from residents concerning parking problems just the previous weekend. Cllr Bauer said neighbours to the club were subjected to early morning car horns, music and fireworks when AFC Lewisham had hosted events.
She concluded: “Many residents recognise the club has value as a community asset. We want it to succeed, but that success must not come at the expense of the residents who live beside it. A well-run community venue should build trust with its neighbours, not repeatedly test their patience and create avoidable safety risks.”
Local resident Marica Douglas said she had “suffered” because of lots of AFC Lewisham events. She was concerned that the new licence would enable punters to drink in an area outside the clubhouse from 10am until 9pm. Ms Douglas was also worried about the wellbeing of pupils from a nearby school. She said: “Trinity School uses that field everyday. There are about 100 school children and they’d have to do their sports alongside an open beer garden from 10am in the morning till they finish school at 4pm, and that’s just not on.” The applicants told the committee that if school children were using the adjacent playing field, AFC Lewisham would not open its beer garden. They also said that alcohol would only be sold from 3.30pm.
David Sullivan, a former Kidbrooke ward councillor, said AFC Lewisham was the only sports club in the area he ever received complaints about, despite there being clubs such as Old Colfeians and the Crofton Albion Sports & Social Club close by. He said: “This particular site was my biggest postback for the four years that I represented that ward, and throughout that time I’ve found that no matter what promises the management actually make, they’re never adhered to.” Mr Sullivan suggested AFC Lewisham was so close to so many residential properties that its actual existence was “incompatible” with the rest of the community.
AFC Lewisham’s closing time has been extended from 9.30pm until 11pm until July 31. Greenwich Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee B accepted the football club was an “established venue capable of hosting regulated entertainment” but feared that granting a later licence would exacerbate the problems experienced by nearby residents.
