Artisan & Vine owner believes it is the only way to save his business


image: Artisan & Vine website

Artisan & Vine is an independent wine shop that has traded on the Lower Richmond Road for almost 2 years. Owner Mike Stead is applying to Wandsworth Council to include the addition of A4 Ancillary usage to allow him to operate as a wine bar in the evenings - currently the shop holds occasional wine tasting events.

The application states, "Although being very popular with our current customer base and their regular purchasing patterns, we are still losing money because of low footfall and no real daytime trade and the restricted offering of just retail. We are therefore worried about the immediate and obviously long term future of our business. In short – if we can’t adapt our offering, we would most likely have to close early in the New Year".

Mike believes his plan would allow the business to become a place people frequent more regularly throughout the day, to enjoy an occasional glass of wine, a craft beer or a range of boutique nonalcoholic drinks such as coffees, teas, and cold artisan drinks as well as deli foods, in addition to shopping to consume off-site.

Neighbours have voiced concerns that this will increase "people hanging about late at night, smoking in the street or worse, creating noise and rubbish etc". There is also concern that the value of the flats above the business will be reduced as it is "much more difficult to get mortgages above A4 establishments".

Two other flat owners are also concerned about increased noise from the business in the evening, one stating on the planning application: "The soundproofing is non existent and would make occupation of my flat a living hell". The other: "The applicant is aware of the noise as he has previously presented my tenants with bottles of wine as an apology, yet he has not included a proposal to mitigate the sound disturbance between the commercial space and the residential above".

January 31, 2019