Folkestone Herald
12-6-1992
Local News
A rear glass window, costing £200, was smashed at the
Cartoon Club in Grace Hill, Folkestone.
Folkestone Herald
19-6-1992
Local News
In last week`s edition of the Herald we incorrectly
reported that a window at the Cartoon Club in Grace Hill, Folkestone, was
smashed. We wish to make clear that the Cartoon Club was not the business
vandalised. The original information supplied was printed in good faith.
Folkestone Herald
3-7-1992
Local News
The Cartoon disco in Folkestone has had its public
entertainments licence renewed on condition it carries out noise-proofing work.
A licence for the Grace Hill nightspot had been temporarily granted until now,
while noise levels were being monitored. The Cartoon has already spent £4,500
on the first stage of soundproofing. If that is not successful, more work will
be done.
Peter Wells, assistant environmental health director for
Shepway, said “I appreciate the management`s attitude. Earlier on, we told the
Cartoon it wasn`t ready for opening because more work was needed and that was
cheerfully accepted”.
Folkestone Herald
9-10-1992
Local News
A local night club could face closure and up to 15 jobs
losses because the council has refused to renew its public entertainments
licence.
The Cartoon Club, in Grace Hill, Folkestone, has now
launched an appeal against the decision by Shepway`s entertainments and
licensing sub-committee. But a mix-up over opening times has cost the club
hundreds of pounds in lost takings and some staff had been laid off. Manager
David Godden said he had understood the decision had meant he would have to
close early. “I was told we would have to close at 11 p.m. rather than 2 a.m.
from Thursday. So we closed at 11 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and
Monday. Normally our takings are £2,500 a week. Last week they dropped to
£500”. Mr. Godden explained Shepway
council had now informed him his licence was still in force and would remain so
for 21 days after the start of an appeal. He told the Herald an appeal would
definitely be launched and he would be reinstating staff he had laid off. After
the decision last week, Mr. Godden had said “That`s it – it`s finished. It`s
hard on the staff and everyone who`s worked to make a go of it in the past few
months, but what can you do? We`ve already spent more than £4,500 on
soundproofing and we were prepared to spend more if it would mean not upsetting
out neighbours”.
The committee decided not to renew the licence because of
complaints from neighbours about noise despite Mr. Godden`s efforts to
soundproof the walls and ceiling.
Louise Simpson and Terry Mulcahy, both of Copthall
Gardens, whose flats adjoin the club, told the committee noise from the disco
was audible well into the night. Mr. Mulcahy said “The noise is audible to the
degree it is possible to tell which records are being played and persons can be
heard singing along. On one occasion the noise was so loud it caused the taps
in my kitchen to vibrate”.
Mrs. Simpson said “We have tried to co-operate with these
gentlemen and spoken to them several times on a very friendly basis, but the
fact remains the soundproofing that`s been done so far isn`t enough. The noise
is still intolerable and I shouldn`t have to put up with it in my own home”.
Alan Milton, senior environmental health officer, and
Cyril Jarret, chief building control officer, said although they felt the
soundproofing had reduced the noise it wasn`t enough and they recommended the
application was refused.
Folkestone Herald
11-12-1992
Local News
The manager of a local nightspot claims there is a
campaign to stop him opening late at night. Dave Godden, who runs the Cartoon
Club in Grace Hill, Folkestone, says since he lost his public entertainments
licence in October because of complaints about noise troubles have piled up.
After spending more than £10,000 soundproofing the walls of the club to the
satisfaction of both neighbours and the council`s environmental health officers
he was due to appear before the entertainments licensing sub-committee on
Wednesday to ask to have his licence renewed. But hardly had the work been
completed and given the all-clear than the council told him he hadn`t filled in
a building notice form for the work. “The soundproofing has been done in two
stages, the plan being if the first stage wasn`t enough, and it wasn`t, we
would proceed with the second stage, which we have done. I`d filled out a form
for the first part of the work, and had no idea I would have to fill out
another for the rest, so the first I heard of it was when all the work had been
done”, Mr. Godden said. Council officials checked the work and agreed it was
all up to standard, but the form still had to be filled in and another fee
paid. Finally, days before his application for a licence was due to be heard,
Mr. Godden received a copy of another letter sent to the council from someone
living in nearby Foord Road complaining of “numerous inconveniences” caused by
customers leaving the club late at night. These included accusations of
shouting and screaming, fighting and swearing and acts of vandalism related to
the complainant`s car, which had been damaged on several occasions.
“It`s ridiculous to say my customers are responsible for
all this when there`s no evidence. Am I to be blamed for every act of violence
and vandalism in the town? I have done everything I can to contain the noise
and fulfil every condition the council has imposed on me but I just get knocked
back every time. I can`t help feeling there`s someone out there who really
doesn`t want me to open again”, Mr. Godden said.
Folkestone Herald
25-12-1992
Local News
Folkestone`s Cartoon Club has won back its public
entertainments licence but will still be closing its doors at 11 p.m.
At a meeting of the entertainments and licensing sub-committee
councillors agreed club manager Dave Godden should be allowed to have his
licence back. But they reminded him his special licence, allowing him to serve
alcohol with meals until 2 a.m., was still revoked, and the earliest he could
re-apply for it was in January.
“It`s ridiculous. I`m the only club in Folkestone with a
licence to stay open until two in the morning serving orange squash. Rather
than face the aggravation that`s bound to start when you cut people off and
tell them to switch to soft drinks, I`ll shut the doors at 11 o`clock”, he
said.
It`s the latest blow in a series of setbacks which have
dogged the club, in Grace Hill, since it lost its licence in October after
complaints from neighbours about noise. As a result Mr. Godden was forced to
lay off his staff because he lost so much business and has been running the
club on his own. More that £10,000 has been spent on soundproofing the club and
having it checked and tested by sound engineers to make sure the levels were
acceptable. Then, days before the licensing application was due to be heard,
someone living in nearby Foord Road wrote to the council complaining of
“numerous inconveniences” caused by people leaving the club late at night.
It looked as though Mr. Godden`s licence would not be
renewed, but once councillors were satisfied the noise problem had been cured,
they gave the go-ahead. Minutes later he was hit with the news his special
licence remained revoked and it was soft drinks only after 11 p.m.
“All this time, money and effort to make sure I could
open for Christmas and New Year and it`s all been for nothing”, Mr. Godden
said.
Folkestone Herald
1-7-1993
Local News
Neighbours have been left devastated after a night club
was allowed to keep late hours despite their protests about noise, rowdiness
and vandalism.
Sixty people, many from the Bradfoord Court complex of
130 sheltered homes, which is close to the Cartoon Club in Grace Hill,
Folkestone, signed a protest petition. But Shepway councillors renewed the
indoor public entertainments licence for a trial period of six months. This
allows the club to stay open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and
midnight from Monday to Thursday.
Maud Clayson, 84, who lives directly opposite the club in
the Stephen Court section of Bradfoord said “May the Lord help us. If the noise
gets any worse we will have to move. A lot of elderly people go to bed at 9.30
p.m., and you end up hearing girls screaming outside”.
David Waters, manager of Shepway-council-owned Bradfoord,
said “There is noise, shouting and swearing in the early hours of the morning.
There has been vandalism in the form of broken windows and kicking at doors.
Nuisances disturb the elderly` sleep patterns and create fear and stress in
them”.
Another neighbour, Patricia Sales, of Foord Road, said
“The sub-committee`s decision is very disappointing. All we can do is hope they
lose the forthcoming court case so the club cannot serve alcohol late”.
In February, the club`s special hours certificate, which
allows the late-night sale of alcohol, was revoked, and this is now the subject
of an appeal to the Crown Court.
Police joined the neighbours` side, saying public disorder
was caused by people leaving the club. But council entertainments sub-committee
members felt that because there were several other night clubs nearby,
disturbance could not be blamed entirely on the Cartoon. Councillors also heard
that the Cartoon had now invested £14,000 into soundproofing, and that a number
of protesters had changed their minds. Some had signed a 22 name petition to
say the club was no longer causing problems.
Cartoon manager David Godden said after the decision “I
am delighted. Unless we can stay open late, business is rock bottom and we
cannot compete with other nightspots”.
Folkestone Herald
19-8-1993
Local News
A controversial night club looks set to close after
losing its appeal to reverse a council decision banning it from serving late
night drinks.
David Godden, manager of the Cartoon Club in Grace Hill,
Folkestone, failed to have his night club granted a special hours certificate.
This means he must keep pub hours and can`t sell alcoholic drinks after 11 p.m.
He said “I feel quite sickened about it because I`ve done nothing wrong”. He
took over the club in May last year and £16,000 has been spent on extensive
soundproofing to appease the neighbours. But he said “I think the future of the
club is zero, to be honest. I think I`m going to be laid off”.
Elderly neighbours, many from sheltered homes, signed a
petition complaining about night-time noise.
Mr. Godden feels he tried hard to please them, consulting
Shepway Council at every step. And he claims police were called to the Cartoon
Club only four times while he operated late-night hours for a trial period from
May to October of last year. Two of those instances were not related to his
club.
Inspector David Kimber said “The police opposed granting
the special hours certificate for two reasons. Firstly, on visits to the club
last year we found food was not being provided and no-one was dancing. Special
hours certificate holders must encourage people to eat and dance. Secondly,
there had been a lot of concern expressed by local residents”. He said of the
Crown Court decision “I`m very pleased for the people who live in Foord Road
who have suffered the noise and disturbance. But I`m more pleased for the very
elderly people who live in Bradfoord Court”.
Folkestone Herald
17-2-1994
Local News
Police in Shepway will continue to take firm action
against licensees who refuse to abide by licensing rules. But they would prefer
a partnership approach to solve problems before they get worse, said
Superintendent Bill Wharf in his annual report to the Magistrates` licensing
committee. Mr. Wharf said Shepway had been free of major disorder but there
were incidents of large groups of drunks gathering at or near late-night food
take-away shops at around 2.15 a.m. after clubs had closed. These groups, said
Mr. Wharf, had grown to more than 100. There had been fights, serious injuries
and arrests.
In early summer, Mr. Wharf and other officers met with
all the night club operators. There was also a meeting between police and door
staff. “Many issues were discussed, and it was agreed we should work together
in partnership in making Shepway a trouble-free area to visit”, said Mr. Wharf.
Some clubs had voluntarily improved video surveillance
inside and outside their premises. Night club operators can phone the police to
receive or report information about troublemakers in a “ring-round” system.
Mr. Wharf said he is disappointed problems do still
happen, usually on Thursday, Friday or Saturday nights, keeping extra officers
on duty to 3 a.m. He was encouraged by the positive attitude of night club
operators and their door staff, and would explore ways of reducing disorder, such
as early closure of take-away premises.
Mr. Wharf said there were two cases during the past year
which gave a clear signal to licensees that Shepway police would act firmly to
revoke licenses.
The Cartoon Club in Folkestone failed to comply with
Special Hours Certificate conditions requiring alcohol to be sold as ancilliary
to food and dancing. People leaving the club also caused disturbance to
residents in old people`s sheltered accommodation. The case went to appeal, but
the certificate was revoked. “Local people have written to me and thanked me
for positive police action”, said Mr. Wharf.
Another club, Jams in Hythe, had its Public
Entertainments Licence cancelled after people leaving the premises caused
persistent general nuisance to local people, mainly in Stade Street. Shepway
Council public entertainment sub-committee and the Magistrates` Court decided
the licence should be revoked, said Mr. Wharf.
He expected licensees in rural areas to take greater
responsibility complying with licensing laws because of their remote location.
But there was evidence to the contrary. One licensee was convicted of assault
causing actual bodily harm on licensed premises. The police decided he wasn`t a
fit and proper person to hold a licence, and he resigned. There were two other
rural cases where there was evidence of after-hours drinking. One licensee
received his final warning and the other had his licence revoked, though an
appeal is pending.
But he stressed the majority of licensees are very
responsible.
Folkestone Herald
10-3-1994
Local News
There has been confusion over the Foord Road South,
Folkestone, building once used by the Cartoon Club. Although the pub has closed
down, a pub called Tom Brown`s has opened there instead. Landlord Tom Brown
says he wants to bring back traditional games like skittles and shove ha`penny.
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