Hammersmith Apollo’s 2.00am Bid Quashed

District Judge Susan Williams today announced that she has rejected the Hammersmith Apollo's appeal to run events for several thousand people up until 2.00am on as many as twenty occasions a year. The Apollo had initially applied to H&F Council’s Licensing Committee but had been turned down. They then appealed to local magistrates. District Judge Williams also awarded cost to the Council.

My fellow ward Councillor Lisa Nandy (Lab) attended the hearing last Wednesday at the West London Magistrates Court. She successfully spoke against the Apollo’s plans on behalf of local residents. District Judge Williams wrote into the official report, which set out her reasons for the refusal, that "I note from the evidence of Councillor Nandy that this is a community under strain... I found her evidence about this particularly compelling and convincing. I agree with Councillor Nandy and Chief Inspector Overstall, that despite the best efforts of the Applicant, it is not possible to control a very large crowd dispersing at a time when public transport is not readily available."

Readers will recall that there have been long standing problems with the current licence and so extending it to 2.00am made no sense at all. You can read all previous postings on the matter here.