Nantwich nightclub The Studio has been given permission to extend its opening hours on Fridays and Saturdays to 4.30am despite objections from some nearby residents, writes Belinda Ryan.
The Studio, on Castle Street, currently has permission to open until 3.30am Monday to Saturday and until 2.30am on Sundays.
It is licensed to serve alcohol and play music until 3am every day with the exception of Sunday, when the cut-off time is 2am.
Cheshire East’s Licensing Act sub-committee has now given the go-ahead for the club to stay open an extra hour until 4.30am on Fridays and Saturdays and to serve alcohol and play music until 4am on those two weekend days.
All other opening hours will remain unchanged.
Richard Hellon, the council’s licensing enforcement officer, told the committee meeting: “During the consultation period we received five representations against the application, none of whom have attended today.”
Andrew Woods, the solicitor representing applicants Nigel and Sally Woodhouse, said neither the police nor environmental health had objected to the application.
“Before making this application Nigel and Sally tested the water and last year they applied on 20 occasions to open to 4am during 2023 and this year there have been nine further temporary event licences until 4am,” said Mr Woods.
“And those events were popular with customers – that’s the reason for doing it – but probably more importantly, for the purpose of this hearing, there were no complaints received.”
The committee was told the applicants had operated The Studio for nearly 12 years and the premises had been a club since the 1970s.
Mr Woods said: “Things haven’t been brilliant since Covid… so part of the application is from a business point of view but, also, because customers want to stay a bit longer.”
He said there is a noise limiter at the premises and added: “Those who have made representations have not been in touch during the years complaining about anything.”
He said there had once been a discussion with one of the objectors about the number of tables outside during the covid period ‘but in terms of general crime and disorder and general public nuisance there are no complaints brought to Nigel and Sally’s attention’.
Committee chair Cllr David Edwardes (Macclesfield, Ind) asked, through the council’s lawyer Gary Coughlan, about some of the issues raised by objectors, which included complaints about people urinating and vomiting outside in the early hours of the morning.
Mr Coughlan said: “One of the objectors says, apparently it’s common knowledge that this goes on. Is there anything you would like to say about that?”
Mr Woodhouse said: “We don’t accept that people are out there vomiting and urinating. Our manager walks outside regularly every night…
“The police aren’t called to vomiting and anti-social behaviour and I’m sure if that was correct the police would be here passing comment.”
Cllr Edwardes said: “There’s no concrete proof there has been anti-social behaviour as far as I can see and there’s nothing from the police or environmental protection and so on.”
The licensing hearing took place on April 25 but the council’s decision notice was only made available yesterday (May 8)
suprised if there was vomiting or urinating the club that staff haven’t been asked to take a bucket of bleach water and swill the area down when I had a shop between two pubs the pavements always got a swill down daily, standards of businesses hygiene littering etc have just taken a nose dive clearly