A bar and restaurant owner whose hopes of opening longer into the night were dashed by Bolton Council says he plans to appeal.
Hassam Abdullai had hoped for approval to keep Vibez Bar and Restaurant on Bradshawgate open until 4.30am every day of the week.
But even after offering to vary these times, his bid was turned down at a meeting of Bolton Council’s licencing committee, a decision he says he cannot understand.
Mr Abdullai said: “I don’t know what they want me to do.”
He added: “If you know anybody who goes to Vibez, you know that no one is even allowed to go outside even just with a cup, even if it's water it’s not allowed.”
As it stands, Vibez has to close at 10pm from Monday to Thursday, at 11.30pm on a Friday and at midnight on a Saturday.
But this has proven to be difficult for the venue, given that many of its customers work long hours and go out later.
Mr Abduallai says he had been prepared to compromise with licencing authorities by shortening the proposed opening hours to 3am for most of the week and to 1am on Sundays.
But still his bid had been refused, which he says sends out the wrong message about the town's night time economy.
Mr Abdullai says in all the time he has run the bar and restaurant, he has never had any problems with the police being called because of safety concerns.
He has also been prepared to meet with police officers to discuss safety issues with them and is a member of Pubwatch.
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He also pointed out that Bradshawgate is well known for its nightlife, with all kinds of bars and clubs nearby that are allowed to remain open long into the early hours of the morning.
The area is also well known for its student population who frequent many of its other bars and clubs, while the wider town centre is also home to many other kinds of late-night venues.
Mr Abdullai said: “In the whole of the Bradshawgate area, Vibez is the only one that has to close early.”
He added: “People come here of all different races and colours, white, black, Asian, everybody has a good time.”
He hopes to launch a renewed bid in the near future.
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