Complaints fail to stop pub extending its hours

A PUB will be allowed to admit drinkers until the early hours of the morning in a decision branded ‘disastrous’ by residents.

The Queen’s Head Pub on Bromsgrove Road is set to extend last entry from 11.30pm to as late as 3am on Fridays and Saturdays after a ruling by the borough council’s licensing sub-committee on Monday (October 23).

The application was originally made with the late night extension all week, but the committee agreed it should only be allowed at weekends with a security guard on the door from 11pm until closing time.

The committee also stated the site must join the Pub Watch scheme, which works with other drinking venues in the town to stop any unruly people from entering the pub, and CCTV equipment will also be installed on the premises.

The pub, owned by Westbourne Leisure, already had a licence to sell alcohol until 2am during the week and 2.30am at the weekend, but restrictions were in place to stop people coming in after 11.30pm.

Terry Poultney, the applicant’s representative, said opening to the public later would cause less problems with public nuisance.

“We feel that locking people out at 11.30pm but allowing others to drink to 2.30am can cause more problems. If people outside see people inside drinking but they cannot get in, it could cause trouble.”

But residents complained about noise, littering and criminal damage and fear the extension will only encourage customers to get more drunk and cause more problems in the surrounding area.

Keith Ashton said: “I had bottles thrown at my window and people urinating in my garden. I was too scared to go out there in case I got beat up.

“We have had fights in the road and taxis beeping their horns at 2am or 3am. I had to move out it got that bad.”

Another resident, Keith Parry, said: “We are worried about the people coming from the town centre after the pubs close and ending up at The Queen’s Head. I’m regularly calling the police. This will be disastrous.”

But Mr Poultney argued as the police, environmental health and other authorities had not made representations against the pub the situation was not as bad as described.

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