Managers of a bar near Twickenham's Allianz Stadium have been given a new licence with tighter conditions, despite opposition from its owners and neighbours.

Richmond Council's licensing committee ruled the strict licence would "prevent the unacceptable disturbance" that had been caused by punters at The Scrummery, on Whitton Road, after acknowledging locals' concerns these issues would persist.

The authority reviewed the venue's licence on 10 June, after a request from residents who said they faced severe disruption on rugby days due to excessive noise and drunken behaviour from customers since it had been taken over by new operators.

Karen and Colin Griffiths opened the venue in 1996 near Allianz Stadium, formerly known as Twickenham Stadium, before letting the business to Bijal and Rupesh Soni in 2021.

The committee considered a review of the venue's licence, still held by Mr and Mrs Griffiths, and an application by Mr and Mrs Soni for a new licence with tighter conditions to address the concerns raised.

Issues reported by residents included loud music continuing long after matches, punters urinating in their gardens, harassing women and blocking the pavement.

Objecting residents and Mr and Mrs Griffiths said they opposed the Sonis being granted a new licence over concerns the problems would continue.

The committee heard Mr and Mrs Soni had met with the owners, licensing officers and Met Police after residents complained about their management in 2023, where they set out plans to address concerns.

But the authority again received complaints about disruption from the venue on match days last year, which resulted in another meeting with residents in January.

Mr and Mrs Griffiths said they had issued Mr and Mrs Soni with a Section 25 eviction notice to take back the venue by 31 August, which the Sonis' legal representative said they would challenge in court.

Lib Dem councillor Katie Mansfield said the venue "runs more like a disco in the centre of Soho " on match days.

She said: "We are not against this running as a business. It's the way it's running and the fact that it is running for too long and for ways that are harming the local community."

Neighbour Amanda Bail said noise from the venue since 2021 had been "intolerable" and she had dealt with aggressive behaviour from punters that made locals feel unsafe.

She said: "What's gone from a very small café that used to serve hotdogs and burgers on rugby day has become a fully-fledged mini nightclub with major brewery sponsorship."

Neighbour David Squires added: "I think as residents we've tried all reasonable means, informal means, friendly means, respectful means, to address the issues that have been ongoing since 2021.

"Whenever we've tried to do that, it's been met with the similar kind of, 'yes okay, we listen to you'… but nothing actually really happens."

Colin Griffiths said he and Karen had let the business to the operators on the basis it was a sushi restaurant, "there was no mention of this being run as a bar".

He said they had worked with licensing officers to address issues raised by residents, only to find the operators had gone back to the "same bad old practices".

Mr Griffiths added: "I should add that this is a lifetime's work for Karen. She's run this for 30 years. She's heartbroken by what's happened."

Barrister Gary Grant, representing Mr and Mrs Soni, said the new licence would resolve residents' complaints.

Mr Grant stressed The Scrummery was "not alone in contributing to the issues on Whitton Road" as it was a key route to the stadium and had three off-licences serving people alcohol. He said most people congregating on the road were not its customers.

He said the Sonis had already put in place measures to tackle residents' concerns after the meeting earlier this year.

Licensing experts observed the venue during matches on 26 April and 16 May and ruled the measures had worked, although residents said these were smaller matches and did not show they would be adequate for other events.

Mr Grant said: "That, we say, is the proportionate and appropriate solution to the problems that you've heard about. Granting a licence to the operators has the huge benefit of making them, for the first time, legally accountable."

Mrs Soni told the meeting: "We have made mistakes, I'm not saying we haven't, and we want to rectify and make it right."

The committee decided to grant the Sonis the new licence, after deciding the strict conditions were "appropriate and proportionate" to prevent future issues.

A new report on the decision said the licence meant the Sonis "would be responsible for ensuring that the conditions are adhered to".

The report added: "The conditions are enforceable and any breaches are potentially a criminal offence and could also lead to a review of this licence."

The licence requires the bar to stop selling booze by 9pm and close by 10pm.

The venue must also cap the number of punters in the courtyard to 20 at a time, remove any outside speakers, use a noise-limiting device, make sure customers do not spill outside the premises and regularly meet residents.

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