At a glance
Walker’s of Whitehall, which is minutes from Downing Street and Parliament, is set to have its licence reviewed by Westminster Council after complaints
Locals are calling for restrictions on the bar for allowing dozens of drinkers to stand on the pavement outside
The pub is popular with politicians and Number 10 staff, with former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg using the pub to deliver a speech in 2015
A central London pub popular with politicians and Number 10 staff is facing sanctions after nearby residents complained about rowdy and “intimidating” customers.
Walker’s of Whitehall, which is minutes from Downing Street and Parliament, is set to have its licence reviewed by Westminster Council following grumbles from neighbours dating back “many, many years”.
A group of residents living in nearby Craig's Court has written to the town hall calling for it to impose restrictions on the bar over it allowing dozens of drinkers to stand on the pavement outside.
Former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg used the pub to deliver a speech in 2015 where he asked party members to rally behind his successor following his resignation, while police were called to the building in 2018 when a fight broke out during a meeting for young Tories.
“Large numbers gather in the narrow alleyway opposite, and further down Craig’s Court,” one neighbour said in a complaint.
“This can be as many as 100 persons. Because of the proximity to [homes], this results in noise nuisance, feeling intimidated and fear for our personal safety.”
Another resident added: “Craig’s Court is often subjected to anti-social behaviour, waste, fly tipping, urination, drug abuse, rough sleeping, as well as illegal parking, even though it’s designated as service yard.
“Making overcrowding worse are large crowds of tourists, public events, frequent protests on Whitehall and large public events on Trafalgar square, which at times can turn violent and literally keep us captive in our homes.
“This often means that we can’t access our homes easily and feel intimidated and threatened by the intoxicated crowds outside.
“Walker’s of Whitehall make matters worse, as they insist to use all of the very small outside public space as though it’s their private space – making access to our homes even more difficult and overcrowded; causing noise nuisance and intimidation and potentially endangering our lives.”
Residents want the number of customers allowed to drink outside the premises limited to 12 at a time before 9pm.
A licensing review has been scheduled by Westminster Council for later this month.
A spokesperson for Young’s, which owns the pub, told the Standard: “Walker's of Whitehall is a highly popular pub in central London which attracts a large number of customers, including many tourists.
“As is the case with many London pubs, during periods of warmer weather, our customers enjoy making the most of the sunshine and take their drinks outside and onto the street.
“We are aware that this may cause some disruption for residents during periods of peak trading and have introduced some initiatives to reduce the amount of time customers spend outside.
“During the review with Westminster Council, we will present Westminster’s Licensing Department with some additional measures which we hope will strike the right balance.”
