Residents fear a bid by a popular Leicester pub to open for up to three hours longer could result in “unbearable” noise and anti-social behaviour. Dozens of neighbours of The Donkey, in Welford Road, have objected to its request, which includes opening until 5.30am on some days.
The venue, which hosts live music, is seeking to stay open until 2.30am on Mondays and Tuesdays, 4.30am on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 5.30am on Fridays and Saturdays. It currently opens until 1.30am Monday to Wednesday, 2.30am on Thursday to Saturday and 1am on Sundays. No change of hours is proposed for Sundays.
The pub also wants to be able to play live and recorded music and serve alcohol until 30 minutes before closing each night. The pub is further seeking to extend those opening times by another hour on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, and the Sundays before bank holidays. On New Year’s Eve, it wants to stay open through the night and until normal closing time on New Year’s Day.
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The pub said in its application to Leicester City Council that it had “always worked with neighbours to ensure no nuisance is caused”, adding that the extended hours would allow patrons to “continue their night in a safe and comfortable environment”. But residents, council officials and the elected member for Castle ward, where the pub is located, have raised concerns over the plan. Some 56 members of the public have written to the local authority to object to the proposals, citing fears over noise disturbance, vandalism and other anti-social behaviour as their reasons.
One said they were “already victims of noise disturbances on occasion”. They added: “With the increased hours, we potentially could be subject to unbearable amounts of noise nuisance and vandalism.”
A family which lives “directly across” from the building told the council the additional opening hours would “significantly impact” their “quality of life”, and would put “undue stress” on the community. “We’d likely see more people lingering around the area in the early hours, increasing the risk of loud or disruptive behaviour,” they said. “This could make the area feel less safe, especially for families and children.”
A third resident said they feared the longer hours would “lead to an increase in crime and disorder” due to people consuming more alcohol on the site. They also raised concerns about increased littering and broken glass in the area, which they said they felt would “pose a risk” to pets and children.
Ward councillor Patrick Kitterick is among those who have objected to The Donkey’s requests. He said residents could be disturbed by both noise from the pub itself and the coming and going of patrons, describing the surrounding streets as a “quiet and residential area”.
He also said that the pub being open later than many others in the area “means it may well attract people who have been asked to leave other premises”. This, he said he feared, could result in an “accumulation” of people who will have, “in all likelihood, consumed too much alcohol already”.
Councillor Kitterick said that, as a result, he feared there would be “increased chances of alcohol-fuelled crime”, as well as noise. He branded the requested opening hours “utterly inappropriate” for the location.
Noise officers at Leicester City Council have also raised concerns about the application, including over loud music and raised voices, which they said could result in “sleep deprivation” for residents. They added that it was “very difficult to control” noise in the streets outside the pub. Officers concluded that they had “serious concerns” about the requested extension of hours and recommended the council refuse the changes.
Members of the city council’s licensing committee will meet this week to debate the application. They will need to decide whether to grant the new hours, approve them subject to conditions or reject them.