Licensees win latest fight in battle over late licensing
Licensees in the North East have won the latest round in their long-running battle with residents over late licensing.
Controversial plans for later licences in Whitley Bay have been given the go-ahead, despite objections from local councillors and residents.
The move has angered campaigners who claim Whitley Bay has turned from a traditional family holiday destination to nothing more than a drinking resort.
It is the second victory of its kind for the trade in the last month, with licensees in London welcoming a recent court ruling that awarded pub operator Chorion costs against Westminster City Council in a similar dispute over late night opening (see Victory for Chorion in battle for late-night opening (11 October 2001)for more details).
Whitley Bay, which has a population of 40,000, has around 50 bars and now attracts stag and hen parties from across Britain, mainly to the seafront and South Parade areas.
Idols fun pub and Zinc, a bar recently opened as part of the Windsor Hotel, have already been granted midnight licences.
In April, police also backed 2am licences being granted to selected outlets on a trial basis, against the wishes of residents who claimed it would lead to increased violence and late night noise.
Outlets involved in the trial included Sylvester's nightclub, as well as the Rex Hotel, which contains Jimmyz and Time bar, and Deep nightclub. Together, the two businesses have a capacity for more than 2,000 customers.
After a review of the trial, the licences have now been granted on a permanent basis, and the trade hopes more will follow.
Bob Senior, managing director of Ultimate Leisure which owns the Rex, said: "We even laid on double-decker buses to outlying towns to make sure drinkers created no trouble when they left. Everything has gone very well."
A spokesman for the council said: "Police were happy with the way the experiment had gone and there was no increase in trouble."
Cameron Haggie, chairman of the local Pubwatch scheme and manager of Easy Street pub, said: "This is a great decision. People travel here and stay in hotels and bars because Whitley Bay is a party town. That is a fact.
"This trial was held over the busiest six months of the year and there was no major increase in the number of arrests."
A council spokesman said each further application would be judged on its own merit but campaigners are still opposing the move.
Conservative councillor Janet MacDonald said: "I'm very concerned about the effect this is going to have on residents' lives. I think they should have gone back to 1am licences."
Resident Ralph Short, aged 47, said: "We've had damaged property, people urinating and even naked people walking along our street. No one around here gets a good night's sleep."
Related news:
Victory for Chorion in battle for late-night opening (11 October 2001)
