Hill Head: Fire-ravaged Osborne View pub rebuild sparks nightclub fears from neighbours

Neighbours of the Osborne View Hotel in Hill Head welcome its rebuild but are raising concerns as they say the new building is more a “nightclub and event venue”.

Objectors said the planning permission granted in March 2024 for the new look modern four-storey beach location building is for a “substantially different type of premises” than the previous pub in Hill Head Road.

Owner Hall and Woodhouse Limited has applied for a new premises licence for The Osborne View Hotel, 67 Hill Head Road, Fareham.

Fareham Borough Council’s licensing committee will be deciding on the premises licence on Tuesday, August 12.

The application is for:

• Monday to Sunday, 7am to midnight: Showing films indoors along with live music – indoors and outdoors but restricting music outdoors to 11pm.
• Recorded music both indoors and outdoors Monday to Sunday, 7am to midnight but restricting music outdoors to 11pm.
• Late night refreshment, indoors Sunday to Thursday, 11pm to half past midnight and Friday and Saturday, 11pm to 1am.
• Supply alcohol both indoors and outdoors, Sunday to Thursday, 7am to midnight, Friday and Saturday, 7am to 1am.

The public house burnt down due to an electric fault in a tumble dryer in February 2024.

The council report said the previous licence surrendered in December 2024 was for live and recorded music indoors only, and late-night refreshment was up until midnight every day. All other licensable activities were the same as applied for now.

The council report said during the 28–day public consultation 17 representations – 15 objections and two in support – were received from the public.

Neighbour Virginia Hodge said: “While the licencing hours purportedly remain the same, the type of premises that the Osborne View will now be means that the operation will be materially different and will impact the residential area resulting in the pub that we had becoming much more of a nightclub and event venue.”

There are concerns over the extension of hours with the application for late night refreshment.

Other concerns include increases in noise “due to late-night noise” and “alcohol related anti-social behaviour” and increases in “foot traffic”, “littering and vandalism”.

Another suggestion was to decrease the use of the external hours to 10pm to help protect the impact on the local bird and bat populations.

In support neighbour Robert Sergeant said: “The complaints are a bit lame; they chose to live near a pub and pub licensing hours have continually evolved over the years to meet consumer demand.”

Another neighbour, Gordon Buchanan, said: “Please give the Osborne a green light to do whatever they like because that is progress. The art of success is positive thinking.”