Carling Academy in Dale End, Birmingham was granted a premises licence despite objections from West Midlands Police.

The venue last closed its doors in 2013, but brothers Hitesh and Manoj Chauhan, with experienced DPS and consultant, David Elphick have taken it on to give it a new lease of life. Their ambitious plans will see this significant building restored to its former glories as a live gig venue that has previously seen the likes of Amy Winehouse, the Charlatans and the Arctic Monkeys.

West Midlands Police put forward objections to the new premises licence and took the application to a hearing before the Birmingham City Council’s licensing sub-committee.

Licensing officer, PC Abdool Rohomon presented a 300 page bundle. PC Rohomon objected to the proposed opening hours of 6am for activities and 7am closure to the public, and suggested that the Forum “did not need to be open so long”, and that it should end activities and simultaneously close to the public at midnight through the week, and at 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. He presented five pages of proposed strict conditions, many of them to be controlled by the Police, to be placed on the licence if granted.

Mr Hitesh and Mr Manoj Chauhan were represented by Sarah Clover before the sub-committee.

She added the Q Club incident in 2016 was resolved on appeal and the venue reopened while the committee at the time described it as an 'isolated incident'.

Before the licensing committee Sarah said that she did not want to focus on the negatives and turn the hearing into a “review style fight”. In her submissions, she said:  “This is a visionary and positive application for major premises. It is a very large and significant venue in Birmingham in the daytime and night-time economy.

After a five-hour hearing, the sub-committee granted the licence as applied for, including the 9am to 7am opening hours to the public.  The sub-committee did apply an extensive suite of conditions including amendments proposed by the licensee.