Vibez bid to extend opening time rejected by Bolton Council

The owners of Vibez Bar and Restaurant, on Bradshawgate, had hoped for permission to stay open until 4.30am every day of the week.

But a meeting of Bolton Council’s licencing committee heard how issues had been raised after police had called in at the venue.

PC Ben Brookfield said: “We’ve got a night time policy operation in the town called operation overspill.”

He added: “So on every weekend officers, will be attached to different venues.”

The venue's bid to extend its opening hours has now been turned down (Image: Newsquest)

As it stands, the Bradshawgate venue is forced to close at 10pm from Monday to Thursday, 11.30pm on a Friday and midnight on a Saturday.

But in November last year, owner Mr Abdullai applied to Bolton Council for the right to play recorded music indoors and sell alcohol on site until 4am every day of the week and stay open until 4.30am.

He appeared before a licencing committee meeting on Friday January 26 this year alongside opponents of his bid.

The meeting was chaired by Cllr David Chadwick, of Westhoughton South and including Cllr David Grant, of Horwich South and Blackrod and Cllr Maureen Flitcroft of Farnworth South.

PC Brookfield told the committee that officers had visited the Bradshawgate bar on August 25 last year shortly before midnight, several hours after it should have closed.

He said that there appeared to be no registered door staff, though owner Hassan Abdullai was present and was able to act as a registered doorman.

But PC Brookfield said there should have been two doormen present.

He also said there was no proper “incident book” and that CCTV had not been working properly.

But PC Brookfield also accepted that Mr Abdullai had come to Horwich Police Station to discuss these issues and that previous complaints had been made under previous ownership.

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Members of the public living nearby had also raised concerns about drinking and noise in the area around Bradshawgate.

Mr Abdullai had previously said that Vibez had been “struggling” with its limited opening times and hoped to boost trade by staying open into the early hours of the morning.

Addressing the town hall meeting, Mr Abdullai’s agent Anthony Gregson said that this would simply mean having to alter the existing licence.

Mr Gregson said: “He’s shown that he has learned from any issues that have arisen in the past.”

But ultimately, the committee decided to refuse Mr Abdullai’s bid.