‘The licence may just seem like a couple of hundred pounds but that’s on top of everything else’
Scott Illman, who runs the Magpie and Crown on Brentford High Street, has slammed the fees he must pay to keep his board up(Image: Scott Illman)
A publican has hit back at Hounslow Council after being told he must pay a ‘ridiculous’ fee to put an advertising board in his own beer garden. Scott Illman, who runs the Magpie and Crown on Brentford High Street, will need to cough up £260 annually under current legislation – despite the pub sitting on land owned by developer Ballymore.
The 51-year-old believes the request is unjust as his income has been significantly affected by the adjacent authority-backed Brentford Project. He told MyLondon: “I’ve had hoardings around me since 2020 and at no point did anyone say ‘You know what, here’s a discount on your business rates.’
“They’ve taken away rear access to the pub, and we still can’t use one of the paths leading to us because of works on the left-hand side. We were surrounded in shadow all the time and the beer garden was so noisy. I was fuming when I read the letter.”
Artist’s impression of how regenerated Brentford High Street will look (Image: Ballymore)
A notice issued by Hounslow Council on February 23 states premises on private land still need to pay for a street trading licence if they are within seven metres of the highway. The Magpie and Crown is 6.8m away, Scott said.
“I can’t even technically lean the board up against the wall at the front of the pub,” he explained, “It’s nothing offensive, we just write something funny or light-hearted on it to desperately try and get clientele in. I would understand if it was blocking the actual pathway but as long as it’s not I don’t see what harm it does.”
Scott said he has received no complaints from wheelchair users, parents pushing prams, or people with impaired sight. He received a ‘little bit’ of feedback from residents when he placed the sandwich board at the edge of the front garden, but says this was also partly the fault of roadwork signs.
The licence crackdown comes at a time when venues across the UK are facing increased beer duty rates, higher wages and surging energy bills. It’s estimated 540 pubs are set to close by the end of the year, according to UKHospitality.
“These first three months of the year have been the quietest I’ve had in seven years,” Scott added, “The licence may just seem like a couple of hundred pounds but that’s on top of everything else.
“My rates are staying the same so I’m one of the fortunate ones but the pub trade is seriously in trouble. In another 20 or 30 years, nobody will want to run one, it’s not fun anymore.”
Scott says that while the Brentford Project is a “great” development, he worries about the future of the high street. He feels focus has rapidly jumped to the ’15-minute’ neighbourhood planned within the former GlaxoSmithKline headquarters on nearby Great West Road.
This site has been earmarked for 1,500 new homes, student flats, play areas and a co-living space. Final sign-off is still required from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
Scott said: “They’re developing so much without an infrastructure. I’m all for more housing but it’s all about building, building, building. There’s just not enough thought for local and independent businesses.”
Hounslow Council has been approached for comment.
Got a story for MyLondon? Get in touch on rebecca.mcculloch@reachplc.com
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