Folkestone Herald 12 June 1992.

Local News.

A rear glass window, costing £200, was smashed at the Cartoon Club in Grace Hill, Folkestone.

Folkestone Herald 19 June 1992.

Local News.

In last week's edition of the Herald we incorrectly reported that a window at the Cartoon Club in Grace Hill, Folkestone, was smashed. We wish to make clear that the Cartoon Club was not the business vandalised. The original information supplied was printed in good faith.

Folkestone Herald 3 July 1992.

Local News.

The Cartoon disco in Folkestone has had its public entertainments licence renewed on condition it carries out noise-proofing work. A licence for the Grace Hill nightspot had been temporarily granted until now, while noise levels were being monitored. The Cartoon has already spent £4,500 on the first stage of soundproofing. If that is not successful, more work will be done.

Peter Wells, assistant environmental health director for Shepway, said “I appreciate the management's attitude. Earlier on, we told the Cartoon it wasn't ready for opening because more work was needed and that was cheerfully accepted”.

Folkestone Herald 9 October 1992.

Local News.

A local night club could face closure and up to 15 jobs losses because the council has refused to renew its public entertainments licence.

The Cartoon Club, in Grace Hill, Folkestone, has now launched an appeal against the decision by Shepway's entertainments and licensing sub-committee. But a mix-up over opening times has cost the club hundreds of pounds in lost takings and some staff had been laid off. Manager David Godden said he had understood the decision had meant he would have to close early. “I was told we would have to close at 11 p.m. rather than 2 a.m. from Thursday. So we closed at 11 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday. Normally our takings are £2,500 a week. Last week they dropped to £500”. Mr. Godden explained Shepway council had now informed him his licence was still in force and would remain so for 21 days after the start of an appeal. He told the Herald an appeal would definitely be launched and he would be reinstating staff he had laid off. After the decision last week, Mr. Godden had said “That's it – it's finished. It's hard on the staff and everyone who's worked to make a go of it in the past few months, but what can you do? We've already spent more than £4,500 on soundproofing and we were prepared to spend more if it would mean not upsetting out neighbours”.

The committee decided not to renew the licence because of complaints from neighbours about noise despite Mr. Godden's efforts to soundproof the walls and ceiling.

Louise Simpson and Terry Mulcahy, both of Copthall Gardens, whose flats adjoin the club, told the committee noise from the disco was audible well into the night. Mr. Mulcahy said “The noise is audible to the degree it is possible to tell which records are being played and persons can be heard singing along. On one occasion the noise was so loud it caused the taps in my kitchen to vibrate”.

Mrs. Simpson said “We have tried to co-operate with these gentlemen and spoken to them several times on a very friendly basis, but the fact remains the soundproofing that's been done so far isn't enough. The noise is still intolerable and I shouldn't have to put up with it in my own home”.

Alan Milton, senior environmental health officer, and Cyril Jarret, chief building control officer, said although they felt the soundproofing had reduced the noise it wasn't enough and they recommended the application was refused.

Folkestone Herald 11 December 1992.

Local News.

The manager of a local nightspot claims there is a campaign to stop him opening late at night. Dave Godden, who runs the Cartoon Club in Grace Hill, Folkestone, says since he lost his public entertainments licence in October because of complaints about noise troubles have piled up. After spending more than £10,000 soundproofing the walls of the club to the satisfaction of both neighbours and the council's environmental health officers he was due to appear before the entertainments licensing sub-committee on Wednesday to ask to have his licence renewed. But hardly had the work been completed and given the all-clear than the council told him he hadn't filled in a building notice form for the work. “The soundproofing has been done in two stages, the plan being if the first stage wasn't enough, and it wasn't, we would proceed with the second stage, which we have done. I'd filled out a form for the first part of the work, and had no idea I would have to fill out another for the rest, so the first I heard of it was when all the work had been done”, Mr. Godden said. Council officials checked the work and agreed it was all up to standard, but the form still had to be filled in and another fee paid. Finally, days before his application for a licence was due to be heard, Mr. Godden received a copy of another letter sent to the council from someone living in nearby Foord Road complaining of “numerous inconveniences” caused by customers leaving the club late at night. These included accusations of shouting and screaming, fighting and swearing and acts of vandalism related to the complainant's car, which had been damaged on several occasions.

“It's ridiculous to say my customers are responsible for all this when there's no evidence. Am I to be blamed for every act of violence and vandalism in the town? I have done everything I can to contain the noise and fulfil every condition the council has imposed on me but I just get knocked back every time. I can't help feeling there's someone out there who really doesn't want me to open again”, Mr. Godden said.

Folkestone Herald 25 December 1992.

Local News.

Folkestone's Cartoon Club has won back its public entertainments licence but will still be closing its doors at 11 p.m.

At a meeting of the entertainments and licensing sub-committee councillors agreed club manager Dave Godden should be allowed to have his licence back. But they reminded him his special licence, allowing him to serve alcohol with meals until 2 a.m., was still revoked, and the earliest he could re-apply for it was in January.

“It's ridiculous. I'm the only club in Folkestone with a licence to stay open until two in the morning serving orange squash. Rather than face the aggravation that's bound to start when you cut people off and tell them to switch to soft drinks, I'll shut the doors at 11 o'clock”, he said.

It's the latest blow in a series of setbacks which have dogged the club, in Grace Hill, since it lost its licence in October after complaints from neighbours about noise. As a result Mr. Godden was forced to lay off his staff because he lost so much business and has been running the club on his own. More that £10,000 has been spent on soundproofing the club and having it checked and tested by sound engineers to make sure the levels were acceptable. Then, days before the licensing application was due to be heard, someone living in nearby Foord Road wrote to the council complaining of “numerous inconveniences” caused by people leaving the club late at night.

It looked as though Mr. Godden's licence would not be renewed, but once councillors were satisfied the noise problem had been cured, they gave the go-ahead. Minutes later he was hit with the news his special licence remained revoked and it was soft drinks only after 11 p.m.

“All this time, money and effort to make sure I could open for Christmas and New Year and it's all been for nothing”, Mr. Godden said.

Folkestone Herald 1 July 1993.

Local News.

Neighbours have been left devastated after a night club was allowed to keep late hours despite their protests about noise, rowdiness and vandalism.

Sixty people, many from the Bradfoord Court complex of 130 sheltered homes, which is close to the Cartoon Club in Grace Hill, Folkestone, signed a protest petition. But Shepway councillors renewed the indoor public entertainments licence for a trial period of six months. This allows the club to stay open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and midnight from Monday to Thursday.

Maud Clayson, 84, who lives directly opposite the club in the Stephen Court section of Bradfoord said “May the Lord help us. If the noise gets any worse we will have to move. A lot of elderly people go to bed at 9.30 p.m., and you end up hearing girls screaming outside”.

David Waters, manager of Shepway-council-owned Bradfoord, said “There is noise, shouting and swearing in the early hours of the morning. There has been vandalism in the form of broken windows and kicking at doors. Nuisances disturb the elderly' sleep patterns and create fear and stress in them”.

Another neighbour, Patricia Sales, of Foord Road, said “The sub-committee's decision is very disappointing. All we can do is hope they lose the forthcoming court case so the club cannot serve alcohol late”.

In February, the club's special hours certificate, which allows the late-night sale of alcohol, was revoked, and this is now the subject of an appeal to the Crown Court.

Police joined the neighbours' side, saying public disorder was caused by people leaving the club. But council entertainments sub-committee members felt that because there were several other night clubs nearby, disturbance could not be blamed entirely on the Cartoon. Councillors also heard that the Cartoon had now invested £14,000 into soundproofing, and that a number of protesters had changed their minds. Some had signed a 22 name petition to say the club was no longer causing problems.

Cartoon manager David Godden said after the decision “I am delighted. Unless we can stay open late, business is rock bottom and we cannot compete with other nightspots”.

Folkestone Herald 19 August 1993.

Local News.

A controversial night club looks set to close after losing its appeal to reverse a council decision banning it from serving late night drinks.

David Godden, manager of the Cartoon Club in Grace Hill, Folkestone, failed to have his night club granted a special hours certificate. This means he must keep pub hours and can't sell alcoholic drinks after 11 p.m. He said “I feel quite sickened about it because I've done nothing wrong”. He took over the club in May last year and £16,000 has been spent on extensive soundproofing to appease the neighbours. But he said “I think the future of the club is zero, to be honest. I think I'm going to be laid off”.

Elderly neighbours, many from sheltered homes, signed a petition complaining about night-time noise.

Mr. Godden feels he tried hard to please them, consulting Shepway Council at every step. And he claims police were called to the Cartoon Club only four times while he operated late-night hours for a trial period from May to October of last year. Two of those instances were not related to his club.

Inspector David Kimber said “The police opposed granting the special hours certificate for two reasons. Firstly, on visits to the club last year we found food was not being provided and no-one was dancing. Special hours certificate holders must encourage people to eat and dance. Secondly, there had been a lot of concern expressed by local residents”. He said of the Crown Court decision “I'm very pleased for the people who live in Foord Road who have suffered the noise and disturbance. But I'm more pleased for the very elderly people who live in Bradfoord Court”.

Folkestone Herald 17 February 1994.

Local News.

Police in Shepway will continue to take firm action against licensees who refuse to abide by licensing rules. But they would prefer a partnership approach to solve problems before they get worse, said Superintendent Bill Wharf in his annual report to the Magistrates' licensing committee. Mr. Wharf said Shepway had been free of major disorder but there were incidents of large groups of drunks gathering at or near late-night food take-away shops at around 2.15 a.m. after clubs had closed. These groups, said Mr. Wharf, had grown to more than 100. There had been fights, serious injuries and arrests.

In early summer, Mr. Wharf and other officers met with all the night club operators. There was also a meeting between police and door staff. “Many issues were discussed, and it was agreed we should work together in partnership in making Shepway a trouble-free area to visit”, said Mr. Wharf.

Some clubs had voluntarily improved video surveillance inside and outside their premises. Night club operators can phone the police to receive or report information about troublemakers in a “ring-round” system.

Mr. Wharf said he is disappointed problems do still happen, usually on Thursday, Friday or Saturday nights, keeping extra officers on duty to 3 a.m. He was encouraged by the positive attitude of night club operators and their door staff, and would explore ways of reducing disorder, such as early closure of take-away premises.

Mr. Wharf said there were two cases during the past year which gave a clear signal to licensees that Shepway police would act firmly to revoke licenses.

The Cartoon Club in Folkestone failed to comply with Special Hours Certificate conditions requiring alcohol to be sold as ancilliary to food and dancing. People leaving the club also caused disturbance to residents in old people's sheltered accommodation. The case went to appeal, but the certificate was revoked. “Local people have written to me and thanked me for positive police action”, said Mr. Wharf.

Another club, Jams in Hythe, had its Public Entertainments Licence cancelled after people leaving the premises caused persistent general nuisance to local people, mainly in Stade Street. Shepway Council public entertainment sub-committee and the Magistrates' Court decided the licence should be revoked, said Mr. Wharf.

He expected licensees in rural areas to take greater responsibility complying with licensing laws because of their remote location. But there was evidence to the contrary. One licensee was convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm on licensed premises. The police decided he wasn't a fit and proper person to hold a licence, and he resigned. There were two other rural cases where there was evidence of after-hours drinking. One licensee received his final warning and the other had his licence revoked, though an appeal is pending.

But he stressed the majority of licensees are very responsible.

Folkestone Herald 10 March 1994.

Local News.

There has been confusion over the Foord Road South, Folkestone, building once used by the Cartoon Club. Although the pub has closed down, a pub called Tom Brown's has opened there instead. Landlord Tom Brown says he wants to bring back traditional games like skittles and shove ha'penny.