City centre 2am licences agreed
New ‘drinking establishments’ based at a city centre hotel could open until 2am under plans approved by council development chiefs.
The Holiday Inn, based in Keel Square, recently opened to the public as part of ongoing regeneration work at Riverside Sunderland.
As well as its hospitality offering, the hotel building includes four business units on the ground floor with several set to become home to highprofile leisure brands.
When the hotel was originally granted planning permission in 2019, there was a condition put on any future “drinking establishments” operating within the ground or first-floor units of the hotel.
This included permitted opening hours of 6am to 11.30pm, Monday to Thursday (except Bank Holidays ),6 am to midnight on Friday and Saturday(except Bank Holidays) and 6 am to 10.30 pm on Sunday and Bank Holidays.
However, in October 2022, applicants New World Trading Company, the company behind The Botanist, and Vaulkhard Leisure, applied for these times to be extended.
This included any premises occupied as a drinking establishment within ground or first-floor units being allowed to open “for the purposes of any business or trade” between 6am and 2am on all days, including Bank Holidays.
The reason for this, set out by applicants in a covering letter, included “providing an improved commercial offering for prospective occupiers and customers”.
The covering letter continues: “Later opening hours are intended to attract quality businesses to the site and provide for greater choice amongst the public.
“This in turn would help to stimulate the economy, increasing expenditure on the high street and in turn positively impacting upon the significant improvements being made by the council and businessesacross the city centre as a whole.
“Extending opening hours would also assist in controlling the exit of customers from the venue during the evening by avoiding a mass exodus and potentially reducing late night disturbance that this can often bring for city centre residents.
“Specific measures to control late-night guests would be expected to be dealt with under licensing regimes”.
Those behind the planning bid stated the original opening hours condition, linked to the hotel planning permission, was not based on any concerns raised by the council’ s environmental health officer about noise and disturbance.
It was argued that extended opening hours would not cause any“significant adverse” noise or odour issues and that any impacts would be“out weighed by the positive effects delivered through the development.”
After considering the planningapplication and assessing impact son residential amenities, the opening hours extension was approved on February 9, 2023.
A statement from the council’ s environmental health officer said the operation of the venues would be monitored by licensing laws and that extended opening hours would be acceptable in planning terms.
Confirmed occupiers for the Holiday Inn business units so far include New World Trading Company, which is expectedto bring The Botanist to Keel Square.
The Vaulkhard Group, the group behind Barluga and The Bridge Tavern, is linked to another unit although the name of the bar is yet to be announced.