Controversial plans for 2,000-capacity arena have been thrown out because of crime and anti-social behaviour fears. Councillors rejected the proposals to create the Kingston Arena on the former Gala Bingo Hall in Richmond Road, Kingston, after a seven-hour licensing hearing last Friday. Surrey Comet http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/9269372.BREAKING_NEWS__Kingston_Arena_plans_thrown_out/
LETTER FROM CARA CHAIR: a letter has gone to Licensing Section, Environmental Health Dept, Royal Borough of Kingston, objecting to the premises application on the grounds that nowhere does it address and indeed seems to ignore the four Licensing Objectives, and on the grounds that no operating schedule has been provided and no public notice of it. Read the full letter at http://e-voice.org.uk/cara/assets/documents/cara-letter-on-proposed-24-hou.
PETITION “No to 24 Hr Arena in Richmond Rd” is now available to collect signatures on Kingston Council epetitions website: http://epetition.kingston.public-i.tv/epetition_core/community/petition/1391.
LETTERS: You can also write letters - RRRA say, "Please do not leave it to someone else. There are not 'hundreds of others' writing letters. Please do give it some serious thought - it will take you max. 30 mins to stop night after night of possible disruption." Below is Richmond Road Residents' Association advice + more background and advice from RRRA can be found at http://e-voice.org.uk/cara/files/index?folder_id=5164268:
"Our town and streets can not cope with another venue with a capacity of 2000 people. Below are some stats which will assist in getting you thinking along the lines of what the consequences could be should this license go ahead.
● We know from Kingston Council's own night time strategy that upwards of 10,000 people visit the night clubs and bars in Kingston on a nightly basis. This licence proposal seeks a 20% increase in all night time venues
● Recent crime statistics demonstrate that whilst crime in Kingston generally is low there have been recent increases in gun crime and violence against the person, the sorts of crime we would be worried we would see from such a large night time venue.
● The Met Police’s own crime maps indicate that crime is rising in Canbury ward (particularly in the sub-ward E01002936 where this application is being made) and is already higher than Kingston as a whole, this licence would make this worse.
● The most recent figures available from Transport for London show that Kingston has seen a large percentage increase in traffic accidents whilst they are falling in almost every other London Borough (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/casualties-greater-london-2008.pdf).
FACEBOOK - if you haven't already please join the Facebook group (http://www.TinyURL.com/NotAnotherNightclub) - it is NOT an association or charity or anything like that! It is merely a vehicle that we can use to disseminate up to date information on what's going on with the property, what's being done and what needs to be done. We're all very busy people and this is an easy and quick way to keep you all informed and for questions to be raised.
A RALLY was held on Saturday, 29th January outside the Gala Bingo Hall (organised by the Richmond Road Residents Association), to show the Council, Councillors and the developers that it's not just a few random people opposed to this, but a community committed to maintaining our safe and sought-after neighbourhood.
