Nagging doubts over pub's 1am booze bid (From Warrington Guardian)

Nagging doubts over pub's 1am booze bid

ANGRY Willaston residents have issued a string of objections following an application for extended opening hours for a village pub.

The Nag's Head, on Wistaston Road, is looking to serve booze until 1am between Monday and Saturday and until midnight on Sundays.

On Bank Holidays the Punch Taverns pub would be open an hour later.

Pub bosses say the 30 minutes drinking-up time would allow time for drinkers to disperse, while the vigilance of staff would prevent trouble.

But villagers claim extra drinking hours would lead to noise pollution and disturbance from customers leaving the pub in the early hours.

One neighbouring resident said: "Willaston is a peaceful village and residential environment - this application for such late hours is wholly inappropriate for such an environment.

"The playing of music after midnight in an almost exclusively residential area is completely inappropriate.

"It would be an infringement of our right to peace and quiet at night and reduces our amenity in this respect."

Another Willaston resident said: "In our point of view the overall objection is the noise that we will have to suffer until the early hours of the morning, which is unacceptable and that we as residents feel we should not have to endure."

One Orchard Street resident added: "Once drinkers leave the public house they show no respect to residents, often shouting, using foul language, slamming car doors and worst of all, sitting in cars with engines running and talking through open windows."

Other objections claimed there was a lack of adequate car parking at the pub, something that would only add to the potential disturbance in the neighbouring streets.

Environmental health officers said that conditions should be attached to the licence including the prevention of noise nuisance from the premises and the erection of notices asking drinkers to leave quietly.

A decision on whether to approve the application will be made by the borough council's licensing and regulatory committee at Crewe on Friday morning.