• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

News and entertainment worth sharing – York and North Yorkshire

  • News
  • Things to do
  • Radio
  • More
    • Food & drink
    • Business
  • About
    • Comments
    • Advertise
    • Contact us
  • Radio
  • WIN
  • Tonne of tins
  • Vouchers
  • Listen live »
Around the World in 80 days - York Theatre Royal

Rejected – Secret café-bar plan thrown out over noise and crime fears

How the Secret Square bar would look. Photograph: Licensing documents
Tue 11 Feb, 2020 @ 7.01 am News Chloe Laversuch - Local Democracy Reporter

A new café would deter homeless people from sleeping in a courtyard in the city centre and promote Kurdish culture in York, according to the owners.

But plans for Secret Square – where the owners wanted to serve alcohol late into the evening but insisted the venue was a cafe – were turned down by City of York Council’s licensing committee.

York Theatre Royal
York Theatre Royal
York Theatre Royal
York Theatre Royal #Ad

The owners applied for a licence to open their business, reopening the locked Hornbys Passage, off Stonegate. It would operate from 11.30pm on weeknights and 1am on Fridays and Saturdays,

But residents living next door and neighbouring shops objected to the plans. And police and the council’s public protection team also said the licence should be refused because it would add to city centre drinking problems.

‘Low-key and neighbourly’

A locked gate prevents access to Hornbys Passage. Photographs: Richard McDougall
Jonathan Rodger, barrister for the applicant, said: “We really don’t want to make things worse. We want to run a cafe in which we can enjoy, promote and share our Kurdish and Turkish culture.

“It is quite low-key, slow, familial and neighbourly – but it is also nocturnal.”

He added that the courtyard has been used by rough sleepers and homeless people – with the empty building falling into disrepair and “attracting this kind of behaviour”.


Staff at The Stonegate Living Company said rough sleepers had managed to get into the courtyard – which is usually locked – and that this meant employees had faced intimidation, found drug paraphernalia and rubbish.

And neighbours living in Stonegate Court said they were worried about noise and anti social behaviour from the bar.

A ‘huge bar’

Inside Hornbys Passage. Photograph: Licensing documents
PC Kim Hollis from North Yorkshire Police told the committee proposed images of the venue showed a huge bar – with bottles of alcohol, tables and barstools – meaning drinking could lead to a rise in crime and disorder.

And Michael Golightly from the council’s public protection team said there were “major concerns” about noise – with the authority already receiving complaints about sound from bars and buskers in the area.

The applicants offered to compromise on issues – but the police questioned how the changes could be properly managed.

Tue 11 Feb, 2020

Footer

YorkMix
News 01904 848 766
Email YorkMix news »
5-6 King's Court, Shambles, York  YO1 7LD
YorkMix Radio
General enquiries 01904 375 029
Studio/competitions 01904 375 030
Email YorkMix Radio »
Selby Superbowl, Bawtry Road, Selby  YO8 8NA
YorkMix is a trading name of YorkMix Media Ltd
Registered in England
Company number: 07814727
VAT number: 154 0364 34
© York Sound Ltd

Copyright © 2023 YorkMix Media Ltd

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT