Former shisha lounge plans 'pose intolerable risk'

Plans to turn a former shisha lounge into an events space have been rejected after a council said it was "horrified" at the state of the building.

Sukhjinder Singh applied to vary the licence for the old Shisha Point building on Sunbeam Street, Wolverhampton, and turn it into a function room.

The new venture would see the former venue, which was also run by Singh, host parties of about 50 people, the applicant told City of Wolverhampton Council.

But the authority's licensing sub-committee refused the application, raising concerns around the safety of the premises and saying Singh had "not put enough thought" into the venture.

Wednesday's meeting was told a recent assessment found the building was in a dangerous state and the risk of fire was "intolerable".

The fire risk assessment also advised the building "should not be occupied until the risk was reduced", adding that the kitchen should not be used for cooking.

The council's solicitor, David Abel, said not enough information had been provided and the sub-committee was not satisfied the licensing objectives could be upheld.

He said the premises were "subject to difficulties" and described access as being an "obvious risk to patrons".

"The premises are unsuitable at the moment, but hopefully this will be corrected in the future," Abel added. "The committee is not satisfied that the application is suitable for the proposed use.

"The committee is horrified as to the state that the premises are in at the moment and this reflects how the premises have been run previously."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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