Popular Leeds bar withdraws bid to stay open until 4am after police opposition
Police, the council and nearby hotels had opposed the plans
A popular bar has withdrawn its application to serve drinks until 4am in the city’s LGBTQ+ quarter.
The Bridge Inn faced opposition from the police and council after seeking to add an extra two hours to its Thursday-Saturday closing times.
Nearby hotels Indigo and Malmaison also objected, saying their guests were already being disturbed by late-night noise in the area.
Venue operator Star Pubs was due to have its application heard by a Leeds City Council licensing sub-committee on Tuesday.
A Star Pubs spokesperson said: “We have taken the decision to withdraw our application at the current time in order to give us more time to consult further with local authorities regarding our plans.”
The council said the Bridge End premises was within a Cumulative Impact Area (CIA), classed as suffering from high levels of alcohol-related anti-social behaviour.
It is also in a CIA “red zone”, where the strictest controls on licence applications apply.
A licensing report said: “The council’s CIA identifies this area as one experiencing the highest levels of alcohol-related crime, disorder and nuisance within Leeds city centre.”
Malmaison’s objection said the hotel had around 25 rooms facing the venue.
It said: “As a four-star hotel, we are trying to attract premium spenders into the city and this calibre of establishment is such an obstacle against that.”
In its application, the Bridge said measures would be in place to prevent nuisance behaviour at the premises, which was run by an experienced management team.
They included CCTV and procedures to safely disperse customers at the end of the night.
The licence application said: “Bridge Inn is an established licensed premises within Leeds’ Freedom Quarter, rather than a new entrant to the late night economy.
“The variation is intended to support the responsible operation and improvement of an existing LGBTQ+ venue.
“The applicant will keep the operation under review and adopt appropriate additional measures where objectively justified.”