Luminar given new licence conditions for Oceana Kingston

Kingston Council and the police have agreed a set of 17 new licencing rules for the owners of Oceana nightclub in Clarence Street, including a reduction in the number of people allowed in the venue, a change in licencing times and the addition of metal detectors in the venues entrance

Jamie Sanderson was stabbed in the early hours of 25 October 2012, but Luminar quickly announced it would appeal against Kingston Council’s verdict to withdraw the club’s licence,​ which would have seen the club close on 11 December.

Following consultation with residents and lengthy negotiations with Luminar, Kingston Council has today agreed conditions with Luminar and the police, as a compromise to the company’s initial appeal against the revocation.

Luminar’ boss Peter Marks said: “We are pleased with today’s decision, which recognises the efforts we have made to respond to local residents’ concerns and further enhance safety and security at the club. 

“The fact we can now move forward constructively, reflects the efforts the team have made to build strong relationships with the police and local authorities to reduce crime and ensure that we continue to provide a safe environment for the young people of Kingston.”

Video interview: Peter Marks​​

In the above exclusive video interview with BigHospitality, Marks recently told BigHospitality that these problems of violence and drunk and disorderly behaviour will never be eradicated entirely, but he reiterated that ‘there are less incidents today than there were 30 years ago’, suggesting one-off incidents are now proliferated by the likes of 24-hour news and social media.

Marks also claimed that late-night venues have become an ‘easy target’ for local authorities and the police​ when it comes to reducing crime rates, as an increase in phone thefts is shadowing a significant reduction in the number of incidence of violence.

At least four wardens, paid for by Luminar, will now patrol local streets on nights when the venue is open. This will rise to six when the club’s admissions top 1,000.

The new licencing conditions include:​

• A machine to check the ID of all customers.
• A 15 per cent reduction in permitted capacity, from 2,353 to 2,000.
• ‘WooWoo bar’ (which is part of the same venue) to provide additional seating and a food offering.
• No licence to trade on Sundays (apart from those preceding a Bank Holiday and six other Sundays per year with prior notice to the police and council).
• No licence to trade on Tuesdays (apart from six per year with prior notice to the police and council).
• A reduction in the hours for the sale of alcohol.

These new conditions will be imposed subject to a court hearing before a District Judge later this month. 

Councillor Liz Green, Leader of Kingston Council, said: “Licensed premises have a duty to provide a safe environment for their customers and the council works hard with its partners and businesses to keep Kingston one of London’s safest boroughs and we will work closely with Oceana to monitor progress.”

Chief Inspector Gary Taylor from the Metropolitan Police, Kingston-upon-Thames, added: “Kingston Police will continue to work with all venues in Kingston to promote the licensing objectives and ensure strict compliance. Oceana have seen significant crime reduction over the past six months and I am positive that this will continue.”

Luminar was at one point worth over £800m and operated more than 300 nightclubs and late-night venues. It was placed into administration in October last year,​​with just 75 clubs, debts of £85m and a market capitalisation just north of £700k.