Objection to Taylor's Sports Bar licence application
- Izaak Wilson
- May 25
- 3 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
We'll be objecting to this application, which you can read in full below.
Essentially, it would add more permanent capacity to the Otley Run - for a bar that was never part of it in the first place!
For some context - this is technically a brand new application rather than a variation to their existing licence. Part 3 of the form asks for a general description of the premises and it states in that box: "Bar and Grill - ground and first floor"
They have also submitted updated plans that include the first floor.
This goes directly against the Cumulative Impact Assessment policy that we've worked to get adopted by the council - recognising that the Otley Run has become 'too much' cumulatively for the area and that it's too great a risk to add more venues or capacity to it.
If you'd also like to object please email entertainment.licen@leeds.gov.uk
The deadline is the 13th June.
The application files are below, and here is our objection, which is co-signed by Labour councillors in Headingley & Hyde Park ward and Labour MP Alex Sobel: "This objection is made with reference to the council’s licensing objectives, in particular the prevention of public nuisance and the prevention of crime and disorder, and with strong regard to the Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) adopted by the council for the Headingley area.
The Headingley and Hyde Park cumulative impact area was designated precisely because of the high volume and concentration of licensed premises, the sustained impact on public amenity, and the difficulty of managing associated antisocial behaviour. As ward councillors, we are actively working with council officers, the police, and local stakeholders to tackle these problems - most notably through the newly established Otley Run Problem Solving Group.
Taylors is already a premises that contributes to the Otley Run, an unregulated mass drinking culture that has grown significantly in recent years. It brings thousands of people through the area each weekend, contributing to significant noise, disorder, littering, and frequent disruption to residents. We have received many complaints from residents who feel unable to enjoy their homes or move around the area safely, particularly on weekends.
This licence application, which would expand the premises’ licensed footprint to include the upper floor and increase its capacity, directly undermines the efforts being made to bring this situation under control. It risks further increasing footfall and alcohol consumption in a high-stress area already designated by the council’s own policy as suffering from saturation.
The CIA means its incumbent on the applicant to show how their application wouldn’t add to the cumulative impact of anti social behaviour, they have not explained or demonstrated how they would achieve this. However, this is a secondary point - more capacity on the Otley Run is simply not acceptable.
I would also note that Taylor’s has already been the subject of complaints regarding unauthorised use of outside space and obstruction of the highway, and we are working to get these investigated. Any expansion of their operating capacity should not be considered until these issues are resolved.
I respectfully urge Licensing to refuse this application on the grounds that it is contrary to the council’s Cumulative Impact Policy, and would exacerbate public nuisance and antisocial behaviour in an area already under sustained pressure from high-intensity drinking activity."
