THE owner of a nightclub which lost its licence after allegations of rape and under-age drinking at the premises is appealing to get it back.

Andreas Stavrinides, who runs the Skylark Hotel, in Aviation Way, Southend, and its accompanying nightclub, Zero 6, has lodged his appeal at Southend Magistrates’ Court.

Rochford District Council revoked the licence for Zero 6 in January.

The decision followed a series of concerns raised by police and council officers, with one senior policeman calling the owner “incompetent”.

Mr Stavrinides, who can still sell alcohol in the hotel and its function rooms, said he did not wish to comment while the appeal was taking place, other than to say he was “confident” about the outcome.

A spokesman for Rochford District Council said: “The council’s position on the Skylark is that we will fight the appeal and endeavour to see that the licensing committee’s decision is upheld.”

A police spokesman said they did not wish to comment during the appeal, but the force did strongly back the revocation of the club’s licence, pushing for the hotel itself to be stripped of its licence at the January hearing.

Several allegations, including rape and under-age drinking, as well as arrests for actual bodily harm and complaints from Southend Airport’s air traffic controllers about lights from an outdoor marquee, have been levelled at the hotel and nightclub.

At the licensing hearing in January, Mr Stavrinides’s representative, David Dadds, said police had not expressed any concerns about the hotel and, over the course of 300 events at the venue’s function rooms, only one non-emergency 101 call had been made.

At the same hearing, Supt Nick Morris expressed serious concerns about Mr Stavrinides’s organisation of the Kings of House event held at the venue on May 26, 2013.

He said: “He was totally incompetent and completely out of his depth.

“I can honestly say I have not seen such a poorly organised event in over 20 years of policing, or a licensee with such a low level of understanding of his responsibilities.

“If the event had carried on without my intervention, there could have been significant harm caused to the people attending.”

The appeal will be held at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on June 8.