A major leisure site in Wembley has been allowed to remain open for longer hours on some days.
Brent Council has approved a planning application that sought to extend the opening hours of Boxpark- a destination for food, events and competitive games.
The venue currently remains open from 7:00am to 11:00pm on all days, while the bar inside stays accessible for two more hours till 1:00am from Thursday to Saturday every week.
According to council’s decision, Boxpark can now be visited by public between 7:00am to midnight from Thursdays to Saturdays and any Sunday that precedes a bank holiday.
These hours will be tried for a period of 12 months, and post that, if approved, the site could remain open from 07:00am to 1:00am on those days.
In addition, a permission has been granted to Boxbar (aka BeatBox bar), that’s located in the building, to retain its current extended hours.
A 12-month trial was earlier approved, just for the bar, to have it remain open from 7:00am to 1:00pm from Thursdays to Saturdays.
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The maximum capacity between 11:00pm and 1:00am was restricted to 250 people.
These trial hours for Boxbar have now been made permanent, meaning it can stay open till 1:00am even if the building itself shuts earlier.
However, the timings for Sunday to Wednesday, for both the building and the bar within, will continue to be from 7:00am to 11:00pm.
No deliveries or collections from or to the premises can take place after 11:00pm or before 7:00am as per the decision.
A public consultation was carried out by the venue, with 427 nearby occupiers and the Wembley Stadium Residents’ Advisory Committee notified of the application.
Five letters of objections were received in response, that raised issues like noise and disturbance from “drunk and rowdy people.”
One comment said that while extended opening hours for special events is acceptable, it should not become the norm as it “feels unnecessary and disrespectful to those of us living in the vicinity.”
The planning officer highlighted that Wembley is a “town centre location” where nighttime activity is “envisaged and encouraged” and nearby properties have been designed to “deal with the elevated levels of noise.”
Besides this, the officer noted, Boxbar is required to operate in accordance with the agreed Operational Management Plan which “mitigates noise and disturbance from activities within the premises.”
The council’s decision concluded: “Boxpark, whilst a temporary development, is an integral part of the social and economic life of Wembley Park, enhancing the night-time economy and supporting the function of the National Stadium, the Wembley Arena.
“Extending the opening hours, albeit for a temporary period to monitor potential impacts, will serve to further support the night time economy of Wembley.”