Scorpion Lounge in Chingford has received approval for a new premises licence, allowing extended hours and live entertainment.
Chingford: Scorpion Lounge just got a new premises licence. This happened at a meeting on January 23. The lounge will now be open from 10am to 12:30am on weekdays. On Fridays and Saturdays, it will stay open until 1am.
Right now, it’s licensed as a restaurant. But the owner, Shpresim Maloku, said that just doesn’t fit the business. Customers will need to be seated to drink. There will be live music and DJs, but no dance floor.
To keep noise down, Mr. Maloku spent £30,000 on soundproofing. His lawyer told the licensing committee about this. The entrance will have an ‘acoustic lobby’ with two doors and a small space in between.
They’ll stagger entry, so one door will always be closed. This is important since the lounge is in a residential area. Some locals are worried about noise. One resident from Waverley Avenue objected, saying the area isn’t right for late-night venues.
A council officer wanted to check if the soundproofing works before giving full permission. He mentioned that they looked into the lounge after hearing it was open until 4am but found no proof of that.
Councillor Richard Sweden stressed the importance of the acoustic lobby. He warned that opening the doors could disturb residents’ sleep. Mr. Maloku had wanted to close the lounge at 2:30am on weekends, but the committee said no.
Cllr Sweden noted that some places ignore rules about keeping doors closed in summer. The applicant’s team hadn’t thought about summer nights but promised to consider it.
There will also be a supervised smoking area in front, with space for 12 to 15 people at small tables. However, the committee limited that number to eight.
