Plans for Wembley rooftop bar on block of flats slammed by residents who will 'pay the price'

Residents have slammed plans to put a roof-top bar above a block of residential flats in North London over fears it will attract drunken behaviour and pose a security risk. The roof is shared with residents who are ‘seriously concerned’ that people will be able to see onto their balcony.

Field Vision Bars have applied to Brent Council for a licence to sell alcohol from 10am to 11pm Monday to Sunday and remain open until 11:30pm. The company wants to open a bar for up to 140 guests on the roof-top level of the Alameda building on Wembley Park Boulevard in Wembley, with the hope of attracting Club Wembley and corporate clientèle.

But some of those living in the flats are outraged and are calling on the council to refuse the plan. They feel the bar would lead to an ‘intrusion into [their] personal space’ and puts residents, including children, at risk by bringing them into contact with ‘intoxicated individuals and strangers’.

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In a document submitted to the council opposing the application, one resident said: “This will bring nothing but displeasure to those living in the building of Alameda. They will be the ones that have to pay the price of drunk and disorderly people throughout the week. Those causing not only a nuisance but potential harm to adults and children.”

Another said: “[...] we are seriously concerned about the lack of privacy due to the potential visibility onto our balcony. [...] This would lead to an intrusion into our personal space. There is a serious risk of people throwing objects from the roof, posing a threat to our safety and causing damage to our property.”

The entrance to the building is accessed on Wembley Park Boulevard, meaning customers of the bar would be using the same entrance as the residents. This is a concern that was also raised by council officers during a meeting with the applicant in February. Whilst not explicitly stated in the application, officers claim it was stipulated that, from the reception, entry to the roof will be accessed via a lift separate from that used by residents.

Despite this, officers found that the bar risks having a ‘detrimental effect’ on public safety and the prevention of public nuisance, particularly relating to noise as people get more drunk throughout the night. They have asked for the opening hours and sale of alcohol to be reduced by an hour, to 10:30pm and 10pm respectively.

Like other venues in the area, the bar would face certain licensing restrictions on Wembley Stadium match days - such as stopping the sale of alcohol and hour before kick-off until 15 minutes after the game starts and only allowing one set of fans in providing they have a ticket to the game. However, council officers and the police have raised further issues about how crowds or queuing would be managed on match days and how emergency services would gain access to the rooftop.

A council officer summary reads: “I do not believe the application, nor any subsequent correspondence has alleviated concerns regarding the promotion of public safety, especially on major football event days. There are no assurances put forward in how the applicant will safely manage the ingress of match going fans.”

It adds: “If the maximum capacity is reached, there isn’t a clear plan on how the applicant intends to manage queuing fans beyond/outside the internal reception area, how the phased ingress/egress lift system will work and any other provisions to manage the area safely on a match day.”

Field Vision Bars have not responded to the points raised against the application, however, the company will get the opportunity to make a representation when it will be heard by Brent Council’s Alcohol and Licensing Sub-Committee next month (May 7), when a decision on whether to grant the licence will be made.

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