Leominster bar licence extended

Licensing chiefs have approved plans for extended opening hours at a popular county bar despite concerns over noise and anti-social behaviour.

Shooters Bar in Leominster will see its opening hours extended and late-night refreshment supplied until 2.30am on Thursdays and until 3.45am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Owner Jonathan Rudge also asked to vary the Burgess Street venue licence to include live music indoors Sunday to Wednesday from 11am to midnight and from 11am to 1am from Thursday to Saturday.

The plans include permission to play recorded music indoors from 11am to midnight from Sunday to Wednesday, from 11am to 2am on Thursday and until 3.15 am on Saturdays.

The scheme also includes provision of late-night refreshment and the sale of booze for the consumption on and off the premises.

But several residents raised concerns over revellers vandalising businesses on their way home from a night out.

“Their language and behaviour is quite frankly unbelievable, fueled purely by consumption of alcohol to excess,” one objector said.

“As a resident in the town, I am quite frankly shocked that such an application can be considered given both the current noise levels and vandalism.

“If anything, the place needs to have greater restrictions applied to the licence.

“Seeing some of the clientele walking in the town and gathering outside the premises at the weekend you would also have to question the age of the people they are serving alcohol to.”

However, a couple of residents submitted statements of truth supporting the plans.

Buttercross resident Alan Crumpler said the premises had significantly improved in recent years.

“Up until about five years ago these premises were loud and sometimes their clientele unruly upon leaving in the early hours of the morning,” he said.

“However, those behaviours have been addressed and matters are much improved, to the level of hardly being an issue anymore.”

The applicant’s agent Nick Semper said the biggest change to the licence was on a Thursday night where the opening times would be extended by three hours.

“This is primarily as a result of people asking for a music night and a local DJ has asked to put on a set.

“We have liaised with and listened to our friends from environmental health regarding music and have already agreed a modification to the application whereby we will hold but one music event every 28 days – one a month.

“Therefore, the noise concerns are addressed, and we will simply content ourselves with the additional hours.”

The licence was approved with conditions.