Raffles: Chelsea private members' club favoured by Royal Family plans to open to general public

One of London’s oldest private member nightclubs once frequented by Prince William and Kate Middleton plans to open to the general public.

Raffles in Chelsea, which has also counted Prince Harry, Usain Bolt and Eddie Redmayne among its clientele, has asked Kensington and Chelsea council to remove the membership condition on its licence so it can run as a normal nightclub.

But the request has been met with opposition from neighbours, who say they are plagued by noise from guests revving their car engines and drunken revellers urinating by their homes.

Residents in Paultons Square, where homes costs upwards of £5 million, say anti-social behaviour could worsen if the licence request is granted making them a “magnet for all members of the public who want to drink late at night”, the borough’s licensing committee heard yesterday.

Andrew Harting, of the Paultons residents’ company, said: “It should continue as a private club. A general admission club would be an entirely different animal.”

Nearby resident Stavros Livanos said: “Already there are many instances of public disturbances from Raffles. I have witnessed drunken behaviour on my street, to fights, to people urinating and being sick. Our neighbourhood will only be negatively affected by this order.”

Raffles opened in 1967 and is believed to be London’s second oldest nightclub after Annabel’s. It is allowed to stay open until 4.30am Monday to Saturday and charges £500 a year for membership, with a £250 joining fee.

It has been running a guest list entry on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Members can bring others in as guests, but they are not allowed to order drinks at the bar. Supervisor Hamish Ross told the council meeting: “Membership fees are something that we have struggled with more and more. That model doesn’t quite work for us as the club operates now.”

The owners R Townhouse Ltd said they wanted to use an ID scanning and recognition machine for guests rather than the membership model.

Mr Ross said: “With Raffles you cannot misbehave because you will see the same faces there and there is history of anyone that does misbehave not being welcome back. We are confident we can maintain the key licensing objectives.” Kensington and Chelsea council will publish its decision next week.