Harringay residents are celebrating a victory for people power after winning their fight to prevent the Athena Palace getting a late-night licence.

On Monday Haringey Council's licencing panel rejected an application by the banqueting hall at 657 Green Lanes to stay open until 4.30am at weekends.

At the packed meeting resident after resident rose to speak against the application, complaining of unbearable noise coming from the venue during functions.

And they accused the council of being biased towards the applicants and failing to disclose important information to objectors.

Applicants Christakis and Panayiota Kashourides and Andreas Stavrinides wanted to increase the venue's opening hours for music and dancing from 3.30am to 4.30am on Friday and Saturday, and midnight to 2am on Sunday.

At the meeting, residents' solicitor Mark Chapman grilled acting head of trading standards Paul Bouef over his department's conduct.

Giving evidence, Inspector Mark Rickett of Tottenham police said the Kashourides had received a formal written warning from police after officers twice discovered out of hours drinking going on at the venue.

He said the police had previously objected to the Palace being given a liquor licence. But despite the council knowing about the objections, Mr Chapman said, it continued to let the venue operate by awarding occasional licences for late-night entertainment.

Two hundred residents signed a petition objecting to the application, and sent 50 letters of objection.

Meanwhile objectors formed the Effingham and Fairfax Road Residents' Association (EFRA).

Residents who spoke told of noise during functions and afterwards, with departing party- goers shouting, slamming car doors and revving engines.

The panel heard claims that some revellers had urinated in gardens and vomited over walls.

Mr Kashourides denied patrons of the venue were to blame for the problems, and said he was ready to negotiate with residents to find a solution.

But to applause and cheers from the public gallery the three councillors on the panel threw out the application.

After the meeting an EFRA spokeswoman said: "This was down to people power. We're pleased that councillors accepted that we have rights as residents, but they could have sorted all this out a long time ago."

A council spokeswoman denied the accusations of bias. She said: "The report gave a fair idea of the complaints that have been made. It was prepared in the normal way and did n

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