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Plan to increase
bar’s opening
hours rejected
RESIDENTS and councillors are celebrating after plans to extend the opening hours of a Newmarket bar were rejected.
The owners of Unique, in Sun Lane, applied to extend the bar’s opening hours from 1.30am to 3.30am on Thursdays and from 2.30am to 3.30am on Sundays.
They also wanted to extend the sale of alcohol and the playing of live and recorded music from 1am to 3am on Thursdays and from 2am to 3am on Sundays.
But licensing committee members from Forest Heath District Council refused the application on the grounds that extended hours would disturb residents living nearby and lead to an increase in anti-social behaviour.
Councillor Tony Simmons, licensing committee chairman, said he was disappointed with Unique after the owners said they would only improve security and sound controls at the bar if the licence was granted.
Speaking to the Journal after the meeting, Cllr Simmons said: “I am disappointed that the controls clearly are not adequate and they are not prepared to increase them unless they get extra hours from the council.
“Longer opening hours means longer nuisance hours.
“I understand they have a business to run, but the opening hours they have already are quite adequate.”
Resident David Morley, of High Street, said he and his wife, Beverley, believed extra hours would lead to an increase in anti-social behaviour.
In a letter to the committee, he said: “We are already very often disturbed in the early hours of the mornings by drunken behaviour of shouting, swearing and screaming.”
Councillor Warwick Hirst, who spoke on behalf of Newmarket Town Council at the meeting, said: “The view of the town council is that we would like to draw a line under the present situation of licensing hours.
“After about 11pm the town is rather like the wild west with hundreds or thousands of people there. It will lead to more disturbances.”
Police did not attend the meeting, but, Matthew Butt, who represented the owners of Unique, said there were currently no crime issues at the bar.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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