‘Hackney without The Haggerston will be a real shame’: Beloved pub loses licence after woman ‘knocked unconscious with bottle’

Residents in Hackney have been left feeling sad as one of the boroughs most famous pubs has lost its licence.

The Haggerston pub, on Kingsland Road, has been serving Hackney for decades and brought together a host of people from different backgrounds.

Famed for its late closing time of 3am, its creative spaces and Sunday jazz nights, The Haggerston has been a place for everyone to come and enjoy.

However, due to a serious incident on December 18, the licence was put up for review at Hackney Council.

Read more:Derelict pub that is ‘blight’ on town could finally get new lease of life

Police were called to The Haggerston at 2.50am a week before Christmas when a woman was knocked unconscious with a bottle, according to Hackney Council documents which were published today (Friday, January 14.

In the council report it states when police arrived ‘there were approximately 200 people outside (the pub), the staff inside were obstructive, the manager refused to allow access to CCTV preventing identification of the suspect and the venue had been cleaned all of which frustrated the police investigation’.

This led to the police filing an ‘Application for Expedited/Summary Review of Premises Licence’ against The Haggerston to Hackney Council’s Licensing sub-committee.

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The sub-committee ruled in favour of the police and said that ‘due to concerns around the pubs’ commitment to ‘prevention of crime and disorder they had no alternative but to suspend their licence’.

People living in the area have been shocked and left upset by what has happened. Many contacted the council to support the pub.

One resident wrote: “I have always felt safe and welcome there, it is such a well-loved venue. I was surprised to hear of any crime or disorder there.”

The sub-committee ruled “to suspend the premises licence with immediate effect, as an interim measure pending a full review of the premises licence, given the real possibility of serious crime, and the failure to comply with several conditions of the premises licence.”

When residents heard thee licence was up for review, 101 sent in emails of support and asked the council to reconsider.

One email read: “The Haggerston provides an important service to the people living in the area (for socialising and mixing with others, listening to music, having a drink. I have always found it to be a welcoming, enjoyable and safe place to go.”

Another resident said: “People don’t just come there from the local area. It attracts an international cultural audience and global touring artists… London without The Haggerston as we know it would be a real shame and significant cultural loss.

“I cannot imagine my home here without The Haggerston there, it is part of the area’s authentic and diverse identity'”.

Now their licence has been suspended, The Haggerston will need to prove that they made substantial changes to prevent a serious incident from happening again.

Another resident said: “As a life long Hackney resident living here for 28 years I am disappointed to see The Haggerston face licence review.

“I find this pub to be one of the few pubs on Kingsland Road that has survived the first lockdowns of the pandemic as well as the rapid gentrification of Hackney due to commercial interests. Meaning this place is one of the few places locals from other closed venues can frequent and still feel like they are welcomed and reminds them of years past.

“The Haggerston for me has become an institution in the sense that its survived every era of Kingsland road in my lifetime.”

The general feeling from the 101 residents was one of sadness and disbelief that the licence was up for review in the first place. The Haggerston will now need to show that it has taken into account the suggested measures they need to implement if they want to continue operating.

MyLondon reached out to The Haggerston for comments.

Have you ever been to The Haggerston? Send me your thoughts at [email protected]

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https://www.mylondon.news/news/east-london-news/hackney-without-haggerston-real-shame-22754822

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