Shrewsbury bar owners bid to stay open to 1am
A bar in one of the most picturesque parts of Shrewsbury could serve alcohol until 1am if a bid for a new licence gets the go-ahead later this week.
Former Shrewsbury Town goalkeeper Ben Smith and his wife Stephanie want St Nicholas Cafe, Bar & Spa to stay open later on weekends.
The couple opened their new business in the former church building in Castle Street last November and are holding an official launch party tonight.
Ferne McCann, star of ITV2 reality show The Only Way Is Essex, is the star guest.
The couple are currently allowed to sell alcohol from 11am to 11pm seven days a week.
They want to extend the cut-off point to midnight from Monday to Thursday and 1am on Friday and Saturday. Sunday would remain unchanged.
Mother-of-two Stephanie said it was a change to a more continental way of life in the town that had prompted the need to apply for longer opening hours.
She said: "We just feel people are setting out and going out later in the town now.
"At the moment, people tend to arrive at between 10.30pm and 10.40pm and we are having to chuck them out at 11pm.
"It just seems such a shame, customers come in and they are enjoying it in here, and we are having to ask them to leave.
"When I was younger I would have been out at 7pm, but now I won't leave the house before 9.30pm and I don't think that is unusual, especially for older people which is our clientele.
"They don't want to go to a nightclub."
Thirteen objections have been received against the application from people living nearby.
A report submitted with the application says the concerns relate to "the nuisance that might be caused with the hours increased, and in particular the noise from music and customers on leaving".
It adds that objectors say there are "great concerns" regarding the behaviour of people at night around the premises.
But Stephanie said the complaints were a "load of rubbish" and invited residents to come into the venue and see for themselves what it was like.
"I don't understand why they are making so much fuss about two extra hours on a Friday and Saturday night," the 28-year-old said.
"It's a load of rubbish. Our clients are professional and mature.
"It's a very classy, sophisticated bar. Our prices are high end, we sell cocktails for £7 a pop.
"Very often if we do have any young people come in, they turn round and walk out again because of the prices and the fact we have more mature people in here.
"We are not a nightclub venue, where people are coming in and getting drunk out of their heads, then leaving and weeing in gardens.
"We would invite residents to come in and see for themselves what a chilled out atmosphere it is."
A decision will be taken on the licence at a meeting of Shropshire Council's Licensing Act sub-committee when it meets on Thursday from 10am.
