A bar in Newark has been given permission to open past midnight.
The Locke and Keye, located at the junction of Middle Gate and Boar Lane in the town centre, can now stay open until 1 am.
The new licence was granted by Newark and Sherwood District Council after a debate over noise during a hearing on Friday (5 June).
Birmingham-based entrepreneur Adam Docherty, who reopened the venue last year, said it was “certainly not a nightclub” and that he was very confident noise levels would be kept under control.
Mr Docherty said the extended opening hours would allow the business to make an extra £200 per night, or around £400 to £500 over weekends, to “pay a lot of the bills and a lot of the staff”.
“At the moment, the hospitality sector is under so much pressure,” he said.
There have been two problems that prompted concerns from one resident who lives nearby.
An official noise complaint was made to Nottinghamshire Police in February, as well as a complaint over tables and chairs on the Boar Lane side because the venue did not have a pavement licence.
Another incident occurred in May, when a licensing officer went to monitor events at The Duck, another venue located nearby.
During this monitoring visit, the officer had to speak to management at the Locke and Keye about ‘intrusive’ music at around 9.35 pm.
The licensing panel was told the incident, on Saturday, 23 May, had occurred on what was the hottest day in May on record.
Doors and windows had been open, while a reveller had taken a microphone outside via the fire exit during karaoke.
“We haven’t had any issues at all with any anti-social behaviour,” Mr Docherty added.
“We did call the police on one occasion, and that was purely because there was someone on PubWatch who was in the bar and refused to leave, so we just had them removed.
“The incident [in May] was that it was 35 degrees, and someone had opened the fire exits, so the noise levels did sound higher.
“We are just trying to portray a nice ambient atmosphere. We don’t sell cheap beer, and we are not looking to get hordes of football fans in.
“We just want to extend the licence by an extra hour at the bar, and that will allow us to generate revenue. We employ about 15 staff. We have got a lot to pay, and it will really enhance what we are doing.”
The hearing was also told the venue employed the services of K&A Entertainment.
The owner, Kevin Dunn, said he would work within acceptable noise levels and was responsible with his speakers and equipment.
A resident, who was raising concerns during the meeting, said music, including heavy bass frequencies, “already push the limits of an acceptable noise level”.
“Extending the time to 1 am will likely cause further disruption,” they said, adding that the bassline could be “like torture”.
“Commercial growth cannot come at the expense of residents’ basic right to peace and safety in their own home,” the resident continued.
“With a number of venues already operating late at night, does this not put pressure on the police, who are already stretched at this time?”
The licence was granted, but the venue’s owner was advised to maintain strong communication with residents going forward in a bid to keep the peace.
