Petition with 200 signatures in support of pub couple's fight for extended opening hours

Dan and Sarah Mason run Masons Bar on Whittington Moor, which they opened at the beginning of February just five doors down from Jacey’s micropub which they had owned for 18 months.

The couple submitted an application in November for permission to open Mason’s Bar until 2.30am. But last week their bid was refused by the council’s planning authority on the grounds of "the possibility of increased anti-social behaviour arising from noise and disturbance and its impact on residents surrounding the site.”

Council documents show a petition signed by six people living nearby and a letter of objection.

This decision has baffled the couple who have a premises licence from the council permitting them to serve alcohol until 2am at their bar on Station Road. Dan said: “We can’t get our heads around it, one department at the council says yes to us and the other says no.”

A petition signed by more than 200 customers, including one who lives above Mason’s Bar, and several nearby businesses, underpins the couple’s bid to overturn the planning authority’s decision.Under their current licence, the Masons can open their bar from 4pm until 10pm Monday to Friday and from 12noon until 10pm Saturday and Sunday.

Dan said: "I can’t understand why I've been granted opening until 10pm when across the road from us you've got the Red Lion pub adjoined to residential properties and the Victoria Club near residential properties which are allowed to stay open later.

"I’ve lost a lot of money; people come to the door at 10pm and I have to say ‘I’m sorry I can't let you in’.

"A girl came to see me just before we opened to look around and said ‘Can I book you for my 18th birthday? Because I got refused the extension last week, I had to make the phone call to her. She had people coming from Ipswich, Manchester and Nottingham who had booked into the Travelodge five minutes from where we are and they’ve had to get refunds from the hotel.”

Dan said that he was upset that the application was given point-blank refusal with no opportunity to negotiate. He said: “If they turn around and say Monday to Thursday you can open until 11am - fantastic, Friday, Saturday, Sunday you can have until midnight or 1am, fantastic.”

The Masons have spent more than £10,000 turning the empty shop which used to house Moor News many years ago into their new bar. Dan, who works in the building trade, said: “It’s three times the size of Jaceys and because it’s bigger, we can do karaoke and have bands and singers. We’ve got something for everyone, a variety of ciders, draft ales, cask beers and spirits.

"We’ve always had a good crowd and nice people in. When we were at Jaceys we were allowed to open later and we just wanted to mirror the same licensing that was at Jaceys for the new place. At the moment we don’t know which way to turn.”