Club Atomic: New 80s themed nostalgia bar in Leeds city centre ‘won’t survive’ unless allowed to open later

Club Atomic opened earlier this summer on Lower Briggate, in the city centre, in a premises formerly occupied by The Hedonist, which shut in March.

But its owners told a licensing hearing on Tuesday they are “scared” and “worried” for its future already, after discovering the venue legally has to stop serving alcohol and playing music before the early hours.

Ryan Mellor Davis and Richard Jones said they bought the venue believing it was permanently allowed to stay open until 3am, before discovering the licence that permitted that actually expired last September.

Mr Jones told the hearing the business was losing “£4,000 a month” and that they’d applied for the cut-off to revert to 3am, “just to be close to breaking even”.

But the police, environmental health and Leeds City Council’s own licensing team have objected to the application, because they believe it will make crime and disorder in the area worse.

Sue Duckworth, the council’s principal licensing officer, said Lower Briggate is “already in big trouble” due to high numbers of assaults and thefts linked to alcohol late at night.

She told the hearing: “We need fewer licensed premises there. Not more. Allowing these gentlemen another three hours would just add to the already significant problems in that area.

“We’ve done so much to try to improve this area and it has made little difference to the crime rates.

“We had hoped for a reset in the area after Covid, but levels (of crime) are just back to where they were before.”

Under its old guise, The Hedonist normally shut just after midnight, but was allowed a temporary 3am licence between 2021 and 2022, as nightclubs were given more leeway during a time of Covid restrictions and social distancing.

But Mr Mellor Davis told the hearing: “We were sold this on the idea of it going until 3am. It was going to be a viable business to run.

“I’d say as this came to light (that it wasn’t licensed until 3am) we were very scared. Since then we’ve been very worried and thinking, ‘Is there anything we can do?'”

Mr Jones added: “We are losing £4,000 a month, which is around what our rent costs.

“Extending the licence would give us the opportunity to be close to break even.

“With the economic situation we find ourselves in as well – the cost of utilities are very high and stock prices are too.

“It’s not an application done out of greed or to make more profit. It’s simply to survive.”

A panel of three councillors decided against making their decision public at the end of the hearing. Instead, they said all parties would be informed of it in writing within five working days.