DERRY’S council have approved the renewal of a licence for a local social club despite objections from residents living in the street beside it.
Derry City FC Sports and Social Club (pictured above) had lodged an application with the local council to renew a licence for hosting indoor entertainment in its premises at 19 Crawford Square.
The application came before Thursday afternoon’s meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Health and Community committee, held in Strabane, which was told that a number of ‘representations’ had been received from both local residents and the Crawford Square Residents’ Association.
Seamus Donaghy, Head of Health and Community Wellbeing with the council, told the meeting that their representations related to ‘alleged noise nuisance, anti-social behaviour, litter and parking congestion’, and concerns were also raised about ‘disability access, breach of Entertainment Licencing and club regulations’.
Mr Donaghy added that while the PSNI did not make any representations in relation to the licence renewal, a letter of objection to the renewal of the ‘Registration of Certificate’ for this club has been received and legal proceedings are ongoing.
The committee was then told that the applicant, a PSNI Licensing Officer and a representative of the residents would be given the opportunity to address the meeting.
First to address the committee was Liam McLaughlin, speaking on behalf of the applicant, who told the meeting that the club was ‘working with police to resolve any issues’ relating to anti-social behaviour.
However, Mr McLaughlin added that he didn’t think this issue could be ‘directly attributed to the club because we’re beside the Methodist Mission and the Probation Board’.
He added that there was also ‘quite a number of other flats in the area’, and that the club ‘never had any objections before’ to the renewal of the licence.
The independent councillor Paul Gallagher asked Mr McLaughlin if he was aware of complaints from local residents, to which he replied that the club has ‘never been directly contacted by residents’.
The meeting then heard from PSNI District Licensing Officer Constable Paul Larkin, who said that with regards to nuisance related to the club, police had dealt with two incidents over the past twelve months.
He added that police were called to the area on April 29, 2017 after disturbances were reported outside premises, but when police arrived there no persons present.
Constable Larkin continued that police also responded to a report of a fight among patrons outside the premises on February 3, 2018, but the club was locked up at the time when officers arrived.
He continued that police were also made aware on March 8 of an assault on premises, but added that it is still the subject of an ongoing investigation so it would be ‘unfair’ of him to comment on that.
Constable Larkin said that prior to the meeting, he had checked police records for the past twelve months, but could find no reports related to the PSNI attending the area for the likes of ‘extreme drunkenness or urinating on street’.
The meeting was told that there was also ‘no evidence’ to link the club with a report of car being damaged, and police were also ‘unaware’ of any parking issues related to lorries making deliveries to the club.
He did add police were liaising with the club, and that there were issues with the ‘governance’ of the premises, but that was an ‘internal issue’ to be addressed by management of the establishment.
Mr Larkin added that while police did not object to the licence renewal, the PSNI did feel it had ‘grounds for objection’ in relation to renewal of club’s Registration Certificate, which is currently going through the courts.
The meeting then heard from Colm Cavanagh, representing the residents, who said he was ‘sorry it had come to this’.
He continued that the building at 19 Crawford Square had been used as a club for ‘decades’, firstly housing the Services Club, then the Catholic Club, but there had never been any issues before.
Mr Cavanagh added complaints had been made both to the police and the club, there he found it ‘hard to believe’ that there had been no contact between residents and the premises.
“I’m not sure they were very effective,” he added.
He continued that residents would like to see the club ‘properly managed’, and if it failed to do so, then it should ‘stop acting as a club’.
“It acts like a public house, it’s not run like a private members’ club," he said.
“There’s loud noise coming from the club in evenings, and people have also complained from Academy Road, not just Crawford Square, about litter, bottles, cans, glasses being left in front of people’s houses and gardens.
“Requests made to the club to clean this up appear to have been ignored, and there’s people leaving the club very late at night, shouting and urinating.”
Mr Cavanagh told the meeting that the residents would ‘resent’ the suggestion that nuisance had been causing by those living the men’s hostel run by the Methodist Mission at the top of the street, which he described as a ‘wonderful organisation’.
He claimed that people leaving the had been abusive to ‘vulnerable’ men, ‘not the other way around’.
“People living in this area are very fed up with the way the club is being run, and we wanted to bring this to the council’s attention,” he concluded.
The SDLP’s Brian Tierney commented that it seemed the relationship between the club and the residents’ association had ‘deteriorated’ and asked if this ‘had always been the case’.
He continued that if moves were made to improve this relationship, it might allow the chair of the residents’ association to approach the club directly with their concerns.
Mr Cavanagh replied that people had approached the club directly but the issues had not been addressed, but that following the meeting, residents would be contacting the police if there were any issues.
The DUP’s Hilary McClintock asked Mr Cavanagh if he could clarify that the chairman of the residents’ association had been formerly associated with the social club.
He replied that it was ‘fair to say’ that local people who had been formerly members of the club ‘no longer wanted to be associated with it’.
“The issue of the governance of the club raised by the former chairperson is a matter for the police and the courts service,” he added.
“All I know is that relationships became very bad."
The press and public were then asked to leave the meeting while councillors discussed the renewal.
The meeting re-convened around half an hour later, where the chair Sinn Fein’s Ruairi McHugh, said that the committee had approved the renewal.
He added that council were issuing the approval with a number of conditions, including that the club would take measures to engage with the residents, and also encouraged residents with concerns to report those to council.
“If there are concerns, this application will come before the council again for renewal next year,” he said.
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