Should town centre bar stay open till 2.30am?

An application seeks to vary two planning conditions imposed in 2000 - to extend the hours of use and to allow live and amplified music on the premises.

It seeks to extend bar opening times until half past midnight Sunday to Wednesday and until 2.30am Thursday to Saturday, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and all Sundays preceding Bank Holiday Mondays.

Officers say the application makes no mention of the fact that sound insulation conditions remain outstanding despite objections being raised by both environmental health and planning officers.

The officers say they believe extension of the opening times would affect the amenities of neighbouring properties.

They believe there is nothing the operators of the premises could do to control the public area beyond their curtilege.

Though Sussex Police are not raising an objection, the officers say much of the potential noise would be from activities related to the site as no other similar premises operate until the proposed time.

"Noise-related problems may be of a level which would not require intervention by police officers but still be sufficient to cause unacceptable disturbance to residential occupiers.

"While it is accepted that this is a town centre location, it is clearly one which benefits from lower levels of noise disturbance during the hours throughout the evening /late night/early morning.

"Therefore the only way of safeguarding the amenity of the area and local residents is through refusal of this planning application."

The second element of the application seeks to vary a condition stating: "Any live-amplified sound/music shall be inaudible from inside the adjoining residential accommodation and from outside the premises."

The application seeks to replace this with: "No live/amplified sound/music after midnight and before 10.00 hours."

Officers says: "Within the statement of justification supporting the application no reasoning is offered to explain why the applicant wishes to relax the condition."

The officers see no reason why councillors should relax a condition which is "suitable, just, robust and enforceable...."

They say it has flexibility within it allowing entertainment for patrons while safeguarding the amenity of neighbours.

They will recommend Thursday's Town Hall meeting that the application to vary the two conditions should be refused.