Lincoln cafe blames safety red tape for street parties cancellation

A Lincoln cafe has said it is stopping its ‘street party’ events due to safety demands by local authorities.

The street parties were described by the business as a chance to offer Lincoln an “enjoyable, social alternative to binge drinking” at the cafe on Guildhall Street in Lincoln.

However, the cafe claims the City of Lincoln Council and the local police and fire service have made it “impossible to continue the much loved Coffee Aroma Street Parties”.

The cafe is open seven days a week including until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, but their popular street parties will now come to an end.

In a post on Facebook the cafe, which was established in 2005, said: “Sadly it’s an end of an era. We did our best but the City of Lincoln Council, Lincolnshire Police and Lincolnshire Fire have made it impossible to continue the much loved Coffee Aroma Street Parties.

“Their combined demands for extra security staff; road closures or all seated events; restrictions on numbers at events; extra barriers and road signs plus a limit of 4 or 5 events a year are just impossible to meet.

“We, therefore, have no choice but to leave the street to the drunkards, druggies and dropouts that make Lincoln such a welcoming place for tourist, students and locals alike.

“We love Lincoln and wanted to offer an enjoyable, social alternative to binge drinking. #coffeeculture #cafeculture”

Coffee Aroma on Guildhall Street.

Council response

The City of Lincoln Council said it welcomes the events Coffee Aroma wish to hold but required permissions need to be in place.

The council added that it will speak to the owners to discuss a suitable way forward.

Director of Communities and Environment at the City of Lincoln Council Simon Walters said: “We are very keen to see businesses in Lincoln providing events and activities that attract visitors into the city in the evening. With this in mind, the events Coffee Aroma wish to hold are something we welcome.

“The council actively works with Lincoln BIG and Visit Lincoln to support local shops and businesses throughout the year. In order to make their events happen, business owners provide a complete event plan and ensure the required permissions are in place.

“We have encouraged the owners of Coffee Aroma to do the same for their events and understood they intended to do this. As this no longer appears to be the case, we will be contacting the owner to discuss a suitable way forward with them.”

The Lincolnite also contacted Lincolnshire Police and Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue for a response but there was no reply by the time of publication.