The decision to revoke the licence of the Tudor Rose at 68 The Green Southall, a nightclub with a history of violent crime and anti-social behaviour, has been upheld in court.

The case involved several months of painstaking work by Ealing Council regulatory services and Ealing Police licensing team with support from the local community

The police initiated an application to close the Tudor Rose in May 2014 in response to a number of incidents involving violent crime and disorder as well as regular breaches of the premises licence.

Ealing council’s licensing sub committee’s heard the application 21 May 2014 and decided to suspend the licence on an interim basis. The final review hearing took place on 13 June 2014 and the sub committee decided to revoke the Tudor Rose premises licence.

The proprietor of the nightclub, Ms Ursula James, lodged an appeal against the decision. This was one of the largest licensing appeals the council has been involved in and was heard over three days. The the final session was held at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 25 February 2015.

Presiding over the case, HH District Judge Day was presented with a catalogue of evidence documenting the Tudor Rose’s failure to properly regulate the behaviour of its clientele. This included criminal and anti-social behaviour that caused disturbance and nuisance to local residents. Also failures to use electronic security wands in search procedures and a lack of control over patrons leaving with bottles of alcohol.

The case involved months of dedicated and painstaking joint working between the council’s regulatory services and Ealing Police licensing team gathering information, which included hours of CCTV footage studied and prepared by the police. It also included 31 witness statements, 16 of which were from local residents some of whom attended court to give evidence in person. The remainder were from both council and police officers.

Councillor Ranjit Dheer, the council’s cabinet member for community services and safety, said: "To have our decision to revoke the Tudor Rose licence upheld in court is a major achievement for the council. Crime and anti-social behaviour associated with the premises had blighted the lives of the local community for too long, despite the efforts of the council and the police to assist the owners to improve performance. This action was taken as a last resort with the grateful support of the police and local people, helping us to make the borough a safer place to live."

The court’s decision to refuse the appeal was widely welcomed by the local community.

A local resident, also a member of Neighbours of The Green Association, said: "For more years than we care to remember, residents of The Green have had to put up with ongoing problems of noise, parking, crime, and anti-social behaviour caused by customers of Tudor Rose."

"We are pleased and relieved that at long last the council has taken effective action to help residents reclaim their quality of life. We are especially grateful to the hard work and dedication of those council and police officers who took our concerns seriously."

Superintendent Colin Wingrove of Ealing Police said: “The police work closely with the council licensing team to ensure that licensed premises in Ealing comply with their conditions. The request to remove a licence is not undertaken lightly; it is a lengthy and expensive process which can have a massive impact on a business and the local community."

"The removal of the licence sends a clear message about the need for licensed premises to operate professionally and to work closely with the police and other agencies to ensure a safe and pleasant environment for everyone."