Heswall police station takes a step closer to becoming a new pub and restaurant

A proposed pub/restaurant in Heswall on the site of the former police station will not be allowed to open until 2am, after Wirral Council scaled back its demands by 90 minutes.

The premises will be used to serve food and alcohol under the plans laid by Hydes Brewery. Today's meeting of Wirral Council's three-member Licensing Panel granted the premises an alcohol licence, but said the venue must close by 12.30am on Friday and Saturday nights and at midnight from Sunday to Thursday.

That is 90 minutes shorter than the hours Hydes had originally requested at weekends, and an hour shorter than it had hoped for during the rest of the week. Although it should be said Gill Sherratt, who was representing the applicant, said Hydes would be willing to close at 1am on weekends, instead of 2am as it had originally asked for.

Ms Sherratt said the business will be a positive for the area, mainly attracting people between the ages of 30 and 80. Ms Sherratt and Neil Lawrence, head of operations at Hydes Brewery, tried to paint a picture of a high quality venue where people would not be getting drunk and rowdy.

Mr Lawrence estimated 70% of the venue's sales will be from food, which will be classic British pub food. He added Hydes will be spending between £1.7m and £2m refurbishing the former police station.

But Cllr Andrew Hodson, who represents Heswall and was speaking on behalf of the five residents who had objected to the licensing application, was told by Mr Lawrence the kitchen will close around 10pm or slightly later. Given the 2am closing time in the application, Cllr Hodson questioned why patrons would need three-and-a-half hours drinking up time.

Mr Lawrence said he wanted the ability to serve alcohol until 1am and close at 2am for special occasions such as charity nights and that such a late closure would not be a regular occurrence. Cllr Hodson said this suggested Hydes did not need such late hours, but Ms Sherratt said she was working within the Licensing Act and was prepared to see the premises close an hour earlier than the 2am licence Hydes had originally asked for.

Cllr Hodson wanted to see the premises close at 11.30pm to protect those who live near to it. He was sat next to Russell Clarke, who lives 36 feet away from the pub. Cllr Hodson said a car park proposed as part of the application backed onto Mr Clarke's garden and would affect his privacy tremendously.

Cllr Hodson, a Conservative, said if the premises was open until 2am people would be drawn to it like moths to a light; he also noted staff leaving late at night would cause noise. Council officers said some residents who had written to the council were happy for the premises to close at 12am, rather than 11.30pm as Cllr Hodson had suggested. But the Conservative councillor said he had met with residents who wanted an 11.30pm closure.

Ultimately, the licence was approved with slightly shorter hours than Hydes had originally asked for. As well as approval from the Licensing Panel, Hydes also needs planning permission from Wirral Council before it can open the venue.