Client: Cutting Edge Niche Bar Operator
Project: Nottingham Expert Witness Licence Assessment
What were MAKE asked to do?
This client is a growing group of upmarket restaurant-bars. They are seeking to bring their brand of 'molecular mixology' and experiential nights out to UK city centres. Their venues provide a sense of theatre using dry ice and flaming cocktails with a high-quality food offer.
They wanted to open a new venue in Nottingham city centre on the site of an existing licence, but whilst residents and council were supportive, the police objected as the site they picked was inside the city’s cumulative impact policy (CIP) area. We were asked to give an independent expert witness view of whether the opening of this venue would cause problems.
How did MAKE do it?
We reviewed a suite of 12 documents including the city’s licensing policy, police evidence, the city centre plan, the variation to the existing licence as applied for as well as crime and disorder data.
We visited the client’s other venues across the UK to identify the demographic of this operator’s customers and to see if they caused any issues in the venues or around the vicinity.
We drew on academic research that shows that it is not inherently the presence of alcohol that leads to crime and disorder, but rather that it is individuals who lack self-control, may have certain psychological problems, a proclivity towards violence or for whom alcohol is a dis-inhibitor.
What happened next?
Our research found that, on balance, the opening of this upmarket venue would not cause problems to Nottingham city centre. Indeed, it was our conclusion that it could help in the diversification of the night-time economy by providing additional choices for post-25 year olds looking for a more sophisticated offer. It was used in discussions between the operator and the council and police and a compromise was reached permitting the venue to go ahead.
What unique value did MAKE bring to this project?
Our understanding of Nottingham and its night-time economy - through our work with the city previously in the Beacons scheme with the Department of Communities and Local Government, allowed us to situate the research in context, with an emphasis on how Nottingham wishes to diversify its later night economy away from the 18-25-year-old alcohol focused crowd.