Angus pub gets 2am licence

A showngus councillors have granted a landmark 2am pub licence in a of sympathy for the area’s “decimated” hospitality trade.

The casting vote of the district’s licensing board chairman sealed the successful bid by Kirriemuir’s Roods Bar for an extra hour of drinking on Friday and Saturday nights.

The decision breaches the council’s own longstanding policy requiring pubs to shut their doors at 1am.

And the board split brought a warning the move will “open the floodgates” for 2am opening across Angus.

One councillor fears it will pile extra pressure on police forced to deal with incidents as pubs empty.

Roods owners Jim and

Sylvia Glendinning made the application to come into line with the neighbouring Ogilvy Bar, which is already allowed to stay open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Mrs Glendinning said: “They have the extra hour and our customers have been asking us why we don’t.

“We don’t have live music or discos and have a more mature clientele.

“People are working and come out later, all we want is for them to be able to enjoy the extra hour, which is the same as the pub next door has.

“It will be once everything is back up and running that this would come into place.”

Arbroath councillor Alex King, a former licensing board chairman, moved refusal of the application, saying: “This will drive a coach and horses our policy.

“If we grant this, we’ll have every other pub in Angus applying for the extra hour.”

However, he was opposed by the board chairman, Monifieth councillor Craig Fotheringham.

He said: “The hospitality industry has been one of the hardest hit in this pandemic.

“For me, we can always deal with this, and if we grant this, it is going to help this premises get back some of their business.

“There have been no complaints and police have not lodged an objection.”

Angus Council leader David Fairweather also backed the 2am bid.

“I’ve seen first hand the despair of our hospitality trade...they have been absolutely decimated,” he said. through

Kirriemuir. Picture by Gareth Jennings. NEW HOURS: Jim Glendinning of Roods Bar in