Battle over club staying open longer
Residents are fighting a nightclub's application to open until 6am at weekends.
People in the historic New Walk area of Leicester city centre believe their peace will be shattered if the venue, the XY Club, is allowed to extend its opening hours.
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application: But the XY Club, left, faces opposition from residents
The club, in King Street, will ask for the extension at a licensing hearing at Leicester Town Hall on Thursday.
It hopes to win permission to open until 6am on Fridays and Saturdays. It currently closes at 4am.
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The Friends of New Walk conservation group has contacted the city council to object to the application, arguing it will add to existing problems of drunken behaviour.
A number of residents have also said they fear the longer opening hours will mean more problems of drunken loutishness, which they blame on customers of other late-night venues in the neighbourhood.
New Walk resident Dennis Allum said: "We have submitted an objection because we already suffer with people shouting and screaming their heads off in the early hours.
"This is a big venue and we believe it would cause another wave of people behaving in the same way if it was allowed to open later."
Mark Dunkley, clerk of the Friends of New Walk, has written to the authority to spell out residents' concerns.
Mr Dunkley, who works for a law firm in the area, said residents believed the neighbourhood already had enough late-night bars and clubs.
In his letter, he said: "The impact of the late-night and early morning noise arising from persons entering and leaving licensed premises in the vicinity on the local environment is already barely tolerable.
"The residents of New Walk and the surrounding area constantly report to the police individuals falling down drunk, urinating, swearing and generally creating mayhem.
"The trustees submit the application should be declined and that the licensing hours available at the XY Club are already sufficient."
The club's director Panos Papadimopoulos told the city council the venue has fully trained security staff and has installed extra CCTV cameras.
In his submission, he said: "We have already implemented 16 extra CCTV cameras.
"Customers will be encouraged to drink responsibly.
"Security and staff will monitor excessive noise indoors and look out for any nuisance."
The club's management will also tell the licensing hearing that staff will rigorously enforce checks on under-age drinkers and will not admit customers after 4am.
2 Comments
by loharlad
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 12:37PM
“"Customers will be encouraged to drink responsibly". - Oh, really, I wonder how many are currently drinking responsibly at 4am? An additional two hours would add to the worries!
"Security and staff will monitor excessive noise indoors and look out for any nuisance." - That is kind, but they cannot escort their patrons all the way home!
Sadly, if approved, it will place added pressure on our overstretched Police.”
by Richy3
Monday, March 11 2013, 3:18PM
“Hang on ...is this is the new pete street extension to link the historic parts of Leicester that has been closed off so as to ,maybe,help be a City of Cuture.”