Sheffield pub granted new licence following shutting its doors over police concerns

The Grennel Mower pub on Lowedges Road will be able to carry on operating as Sheffield City Council’s licensing sub-committee has accepted an application for a new licence despite a challenge from the police.

The police were objecting, as the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported last week, on the grounds that the premises have had a long history of criminal activity associated with the pub including violence, grooming and drug dealing.

Furthermore, the pub lost its licence over an incident when a man walked in with a gun and threatened security saying he would “shoot the pub up”.

A report published ahead of the meeting said: “The review was submitted following a serious incident on August 30, 2024, involving a male being permitted into the premises in possession of a gun who went on to threaten security and to ‘shoot the pub up’.”

They added the pub had a “very long history of serious violence involving guns, knives, hammers, other offensive weapons, drug taking, drug dealing, antisocial behaviour, serious safeguarding concerns, incidents of grooming, noise complaints and breaches of license conditions.”

Also, the Licensing Service said it shared the concerns raised by South Yorkshire Police, the organisation’s representatives told the council.

Despite all this, the pub’s owners applied for the premises to operate as a public house and offer regulated entertainment (live and recorded music) and the supply of alcohol for consumption both on and off the premises.

There was also an application for the pub to be able to sell alcohol longer hours on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, bank holiday weekends (Friday to Monday inclusive), Easter weekend (Thursday to Monday inclusive), Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.

After a lengthy meeting – much of which was disturbed by a technical issue so those following it on webcast couldn’t understand – members of the meeting decided to grant a new licence.

Cllr David Barker, the chair of the committee, told the representatives that it had been a “difficult” decision as there were doubts if the pub would be run “properly”, adding the previous licence was revoked for the right reasons.

After the meeting, Cllr Barker told the LDRS that the company accepted responsibility for the errors and mistakes made in the past. He said during a lengthy discussion the members had to consider whether the measures proposed would be “sufficient to meet the licencing objectives going forward”.

He said: “It was a difficult decision to decide if we believed the company could put in measures to ensure past failures were not repeated.

“On balance and after a lot of discussion we came out in favour of approving the licence. The objectors can appeal that decision and should there be issues with this license going forward then further reviews of the license can be requested at any stage.

“We are confident that will not be the case, otherwise we would not have approved.”