The Sino Tap on Pound Hill is set to become a “gastropub” after a move passed at a council licensing hearing on Monday.

The pub was originally intended to close on 3 December last year in a move reported by Varsity at the end of last term, but following prolonged protest a further council licensing hearing was held and the decision was postponed until 22 January, 3 days ago.
The brewery that currently operates the pub, Punch Taverns Ltd, plans to turn the popular local into a restaurant venue called “The Punter” with between 70 and 100 seats. The news has come as a blow to campaigners who hoped to save the Sino Tap; over 800 students and locals had signed a petition against the change. Professor Badger, Master of Clare College, wrote a letter in support of the campaign.
But representatives of Punch Taverns Ltd reminded the council that “sympathetic as one may be at the loss of a popular venue, it is not relevant to licensing”.

The licensing hours of the restaurant will remain the same as those of the Sino Tap; alcohol will be served until 12:00am from Monday to Saturday, and until 11:30pm on Sundays. A license to play recorded music was applied for, although the brewery stressed that “The Punter” would not be a “disco venue”. The proposal was passed after almost an hour’s deliberation.

JJ Waters, the creator of the Facebook group “Save the Sino Tap”, told Varsity that it would be great shame to lose “the one pub [in Cambridge] with an informal atmosphere without the binge culture”.

An undergraduate from Churchill College has argued that “the last thing Cambridge needs is another gastropub”. This sentiment was shared by Cambridge residents at the hearing who also expressed concern at the extra noise and traffic which may be generated by the venture.
Although the license has now been granted, a planning application for structural changes still needs to be passed. Waters hopes to “continue campaigning until the end”. Punch Taverns declined to comment to Varsity on the outcome of the hearing.

Chrissy Collins