Covent Garden London
The heart of London's West End
SITTING ROOM ONLY!
Owners of 500-capacity bar told no standing allowed
Westminster & Pimlico NEWS. Thursday, November 26, 1998
By NICK VAN MEAD
A LANDMARK court ruling banning revellers from standing up to drink in a Covent Garden bar has been branded "lunacy" by the landlord.
Drinkers at Langley's will have to sit down when the 500-capacity bar opens in the basement of the proposed Marks and Spencer site in Langley Street.
A licensing hearing at Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court last Tuesday ruled in favour of residents' demands to outlaw drinkers standing in the pub - known in the trade as vertical drinking.
Residents hope the ruling will create a precedent for more sedate bars in Covent Garden and cut down on late-night noise and disturbance caused by the estimated 80,000 revellers who drink in the area every weekend.
But licensee Carl Harrison has said the decision will be impossible to implement. If he allows customers to drink standing up, he will be in breach of his licence and could be shut down.
Mr. Harrison, who runs two other Covent Garden bars - the Spot Club in Maiden Land and the Boulevard Brasserie in Wellington Street - described the decision as "lunacy".
He said: "Effectively they've licensed a bar where you can't go for a drink.
"My customers will be breaking the law if they go to the toilet or if they stand up to greet a friend.
"What am I supposed to do - Velcro them to the seats?".
Under the original proposal heard in court, Mr. Harrison said the bar was to very up-market and well-managed with a Michelin-starred chef.
But campaigner Marian Richardson, who attended the court hearing, said: "We just feel enough is enough and we're glad the court shared our opinion."
Covent Garden Community Association (CGCA) co-ordinator John Bos has backed residents.
He said: "It's a significant case for us and we've managed to establish the precedent.
"We want to move away from the macho pub culture where people down eight or nine pints of beer to something more civilised and in keeping with the character of Covent Garden."
Mr. Harrison plans to lodge an appeal at Southwark Crown Court in the next few weeks.
See also the articles from the London Evening Standard and catering net about the Langley decision. Latest news: Langley's
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