TAVERNS OPPOSED

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31786, 17 September 1968, Page 17

TAVERNS OPPOSED

Two Hotels At Oxford

Applications by both licensed hotels at Oxford, the Harewood Arms and the Commercial, for tavern licences were opposed by the Oxford County Council at a sitting in Christchurch yesterday of the Licensing Control Commission.

Mr R. B. Venning, for the council, said that conversion of the two hotels to taverns would divest Oxford of licensed accommodation, leaving only two motels.

There was a demand at Oxford for licensed accommodation and the two hotel licences should be retained. If only one was given a tavern licence, the effect, virtually, would be to put the other hotel out of business. If one hotel was to go out of business, it should be on other grounds. Mr Venning said the council felt the inactivity of the applicants since 1965 raised questions as to their sincerity. Could the applications merely be a move to put off the day of reckoning for failure to meet commission requirements? In 1966-67, the demand for accommodation at Oxford was 669, or 1.89 persons a night, said the inspector of licensed premises (Mr R. W. Jenkins). While this moderate demand was split between two hotels, neither could expect to profit, and if it were concentrated on one hotel, it would represent a “break even" 25 per cent room occupancy.

“At Oxford, two hotels are one more than is needed, but demand for accommodation is sufficient to warrant one licence being required to continue to give full service of a hotel” said Mr Jenkins. Mr I. F. Coffee, owner of the Commercial, said it would not be economic to improve the hotel to meet the commission’s accommodation needs. He gave figures to show a decline in the number of guests. Any demand for accommodation could be met by private hotels and motels. “It looks as though we must have a Solomon-like decision,” said the chairman (Mr S. T. Barnett). No submissions were made for the Harewood Arms. - Decision was reserved.