Sunderland's Roker Hotel wins licence for new function suite and conference centre

The city council’s licensing sub-committee has approved a licensing application for the Roker Terrace premises.

It had asked to vary its existing premises licence to include a rear lower ground floor, which has previously been used as a distillery.

The licensing application is linked to plans to convert the space into a function suite and conference centre called The Seaton Suite, which will hold up to 200 people.

During a consultation on the licensing application, there was an objection from a local resident over “public nuisance and safety”.

The hotel’s comments on the matter, included in a council report, said conferencing would be the primary use of the new space and that the hotel’s main entrance would continue to be used, with “pick up and drop off of patrons to the premises via the main doors and front car park”.

It was noted that door supervisors would be provided on a risk assessment basis along with conditions around CCTV, staff training and incident recording.

A noise management plan also detailed controls aiming to reduce possible disruption to local residents.

Yet council documents confirmed the member of the public maintained his objection and said the plans did not address concerns around amplified noise or noise from people leaving the premises in the early hours.

Arguments on the conferencing centre licence were made at a meeting of the licensing sub-committee at City Hall.

Roker Hotel representatives said the current operator had run the premises for the last three years with no issues raised by the council’s environmental health department.

When running events with a “slightly higher risk profile” around disturbance, such as a large wedding, the hotel said local residents would be notified in advance.

It was also noted that impacts from the new conferencing suite could be managed, with a “noise limiter” installed to ensure compliance and additional staff for events.

However, the public objector said he was still concerned about noise impacts late at night from the new rear access point, the frequency and duration of events and more.

Following private deliberations, the licensing sub-committee agreed to grant the Roker Hotel licensing application although the decision can be appealed.