Allow The Luna to Open Its Terrace Doors and Obtain Pavement License

Allow The Luna to Open Its Terrace Doors and Obtain Pavement License

Started
2 September 2022
Victory
This petition made change with 1,133 supporters!

Why this petition matters

Started by Save Luna

"We the undersigned as concerned members of The Leytonstone community and the Luna community around the world would like the Waltham Forest Council to allow The Luna to open its terrace doors and grant it the pavement license to allow customers to enjoy beverages on the pavement in front of it."


Why is this important?


The Luna, located at 7 Church Lane, Bushwood, London E11 1HG, is not just a business but a major establishment in Leytonstone's cultural life. This excellently-managed establishment has become the center of gravity for Leytonstone's music scene, attracting fiercely loyal local customers, music lovers, and musicians from all over the world. The success of this pub benefits not only its owners, workers, and customers, but also all of the businesses adjacent to it. 

As regular customers, we enjoy Luna because of the tremendous social opportunities it provides on the pavement in front of it. Patrons would purchase their drinks and enjoy the music inside, while on the outside pavement people would meet, socialise, and network. New opportunities to enrich the community are created daily among local residents and visitors from all over the world in this way.

Unfortunately, in recent times two decisions made by the Waltham Forest Council have severely hampered the running of Luna. 

After over 17 years of serving the community with permission to open its sliding terrace doors and allow customers to enjoy their time on the pavement, the Council first ordered Luna to shut the doors due to a noise complaint in July 2022. However, Luna has an in-venue noise monitor and at all times keeps it under the acceptable level of noise.

Shortly after, the Street Trading Team at the Waltham Forest Council rejected Luna’s application for a pavement license. The stated reason for this rejection is that the seats and customers on the pavement would reduce the available space on the footway for the high volume of footfall along Church Lane during the venue’s licensing hours. Yet, anyone who has actually been to the pub could see that there is plenty of space for safe walking through even with many customers on the pavement. 

Because of this decision, the vibrant scenes of patrons socialising on the pavement are no more. Customers are forced to crowd inside the venue without the ability to speak freely to each other. For customers with disabilities, the lack of access to the pavement presents them with significant challenges to enjoy their time and safety concerns.

The Council's decision, if left unchanged, will lead to two extremely detrimental consequences. 

Firstly, it hurts the operation of Luna and jeopardises its survival as a business. By shutting the door and denying its customers to access the pavement, Luna cannot serve as many customers as it had before and faces a dramatic cut in revenue. In an economy already rife with pressures of inflation and disruptions, the Council's decision sets Luna off to a harsh struggle for survival, which jeopardises its workers’ jobs and could make Leytonstone potentially lose an iconic fixture.

Secondly, the Council's order to Luna to shut its terrace door creates health risks for Luna's customers. It would dramatically increase the risk for a COVID-19 outbreak, as closed doors would restrict ventilation.

We are only a few ordinary community members of Leytonstone acting on our own initiative to save the pub that has brought so much joy into our lives and knits the entire neighborhood together into a thriving community. If you want to keep the beating heart of Leytonstone going, then you must sign this petition and ask others to do so as well, so that the Council can reverse its decisions and allow Luna to open its terrace doors while letting its customers enjoy their time on the pavement.

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This petition made change with 1,133 supporters!

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