Hoxton pub’s bid to allow 20 late-night smokers sparks row over pavement safety

An East London Irish pub’s bid to let more drinkers and smokers gather outside at night has sparked backlash from locals, who say crowds blocking the pavement have left elderly residents feeling “intimidated.”

But a local councillor and community group have opposed the plans, warning that crowds outside the pub are already putting pedestrians at risk.

At a licensing hearing on Wednesday, October 21, pub manager Connor Clark defended the proposals, arguing they would overhaul “archaic” licence conditions and “tighten up” the pub’s operations.

Clark described the sudden reduction as “tough”, saying the proposed changes would make it easier to manage crowds and keep customers within the pub’s licensed boundaries.

He offered to cut the proposed limit on smokers after 10pm from 30 to 20, stressing that outdoor drinking would stop entirely by then.

“To go from this great community space where people want to watch the football to getting seven people in a pen is what we really need to work on,” Clark said.

None of the statutory authorities, such as the Metropolitan Police, objected to the application.

Clark and one Hackney licensing officer argued there was a legal conflict around the pub’s two separate licences which needed resolving.

Howl at the Moon in Hoxton

LDRS

The venue’s premises licence at present allows up to 20 people outside before 8pm, which becomes a limit of seven smokers at a time outside its side door on Stanway Street after that.

Howl At The Moon is also allowed to place four benches on the pavement outside, seating a maximum of 15 people. However, the manager Connor Clark and Hackney’s licensing officer suggested changing the permit because of a conflict. The premises licence forces the pub to bring the benches inside at 8pm, but under the shopfront permit, the furniture can technically remain until 10pm.

A group of locals, however, pushed back.

On behalf of residents in the Ward Panel for Hoxton East and Shoreditch, Jacqueline Jenkins branded the plans “ridiculous”. Jenkins, the group’s chair, said patrons were already packing the “quite narrow” pavement where the pub’s smoking area is – forcing parents pushing buggies, disabled people and mobility scooter users into the road.

She added that many residents had complained to her, including older people who were too scared to walk around the market at night. “I’m not saying [customers] are actually doing anything wrong, but they feel intimidated because you’ve got people drinking outside your path.”

Jenkins described an episode when the watering hole had been permitted to shut the road for a World Cup game, allegedly delaying Jenkins’ daughter from getting to her mother after she had taken ill.

Though the pub, “to give them their due”, did open the road, Jenkins said her health issue “could have been a lot worse, and then 10 minutes could have been fatal”.

Cllr Kam Adams (Labour, Hoxton East and Shoreditch) echoed the local group’s concerns, citing reports from residents of licensing rules being broken, loud noises at closing time, and customers blocking the path for prams, wheelchairs and the elderly.

However, Clark said Howl At The Moon had not received any noise complaints since December 2025. Ms Jenkins said residents had directed complaints to Cllr Adams.

The manager said this was the first he had heard of many reports of people struggling to get through, which he found “upsetting”. He reaffirmed that he wanted to ensure the outside space was controlled, but added that the World Cup incident illustrated the need to remove the licence’s current “hard lines” by making it easier to move people.

The committee settled on a compromise that between 8pm and 10pm, up to 30 people could drink outside – only from plastic cups – while the furniture was out. The post-10pm smoking space would have a limit of 20 people.

Councillors also made it mandatory for the pub to meet quarterly with residents, hosted by management.

Clark agreed, adding that he would “make the tea”.

The licensing committee is expected to issue a final decision on the application within five working days of the hearing.