Rileys: Bar chain faces objection to Leeds city centre sports and entertainment venue plans

Bar chain Rileys is planning to open a sports and entertainment venue at 123 Albion Street, where alcohol would be sold until 3am.

Leeds City Council has received eight letters of objection to the application, mainly on the grounds of potential public nuisance.

Rileys would be in Unit 1 of the building, where comedy venue the Glee Club has already been granted a licence for its premises at Unit 2.

Those objecting said they had already faced sleepless nights when the building was previously a licensed premises.

One objector wrote: “The transmission of music and other noises through both the structure of the building and through the air would severely impact the living conditions and wellbeing of residents.

“The presence of a night venue is likely to result in the accumulation of refuse such as bottles, glasses and other litter outside the premises.”

Another said: “When similar premises were allowed to operate from these units, Albion Street became a flash point for violent incidents and created a seriously unpleasant atmosphere during busy periods.

“I want assurances that lessons have been learnt from those incidents, some of which were very serious, and what changes have been made to ensure the safety of residents, as well as patrons when they are exiting these venues.”

The application from club company WPC7 Ltd will be considered by the council’s licensing sub-committee at a meeting on Tuesday (April 23).

Licensing documents said conditions to limit possible public nuisance would be agreed with West Yorkshire Police and the council’s environment team.

They include no noise from the premises being audible at the nearby K2 apartment building between 11pm and 8am.

The operator would be required to prevent disturbances happening in the venue’s outdoor area and to clear litter regularly.