Angus councillors have granted a landmark 2am pub licence in a show of sympathy for the area’s “decimated” hospitality trade.
The casting vote of the district’s licensing board chairman sealed the successful bid by Kirriemuir’s Roods Bar for an extra hour of drinking on Friday and Saturday nights.
The decision breaches the council’s own long-standing policy requiring pubs to shut their doors at 1am.
And the board split brought a warning the move will “open the floodgates” for 2am opening across Angus.
One councillor fears it will pile extra pressure on police forced to deal with incidents as pubs empty.
Roods owners Jim and Sylvia Glendinning made the application to come into line with the neighbouring Ogilvy Bar, which is already allowed to stay open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.
The board heard that was a ‘grandfather’s rights’ permission after the one-time hotel closed a nightclub which was part of the premises..
“We run a tight ship – we have never had any problems or complaints.
Sylvia Glendinning of the Roods Bar.
Mrs Glendinning said: “They have the extra hour and our customers have been asking us why we don’t.
“They have to leave us and pay £5 to get in there if they want to have a little bit longer drinking.
“We run a tight ship – we have never had any problems or complaints.
“We don’t have live music or discos and have a more mature clientele.
“People are working and come out later, all we want is for them to be able to enjoy the extra hour which is the same as the pub next door has.
“It will be once everything is back up and running that this would come into place.”
Senior councillor opposed policy breach
Arbroath councillor Alex King, a former licensing board chairman, moved refusal of the application, saying “This will drive a coach and horses through our policy.
“If we grant this, we’ll have every other pub in Angus applying for the extra hour,” he added.
“We would be opening the floodgates. We’ve got policing problems if we start to do this.”
However, he was opposed by current board chairman, Monifieth councillor Craig Fotheringham.
He said: “The hospitality industry has been one of the hardest hit in this pandemic.
“Most of the time it has been closed, and when it has been open it has had huge restrictions placed upon it.
“For me, we can always deal with this, and if we grant this it is going to help this premises get back some of their business.
“There have been no complaints and police have not lodged an objection.
“The hospitality industry has been absolutely slaughtered and I move we grant this,” he said.
Council leader in support of extended hours
Angus Council leader David Fairweather also backed the 2am bid.
“I’ve seen first-hand the despair of our hospitality trade,” he said.
“At this present time they have been absolutely decimated and, to be honest, I don’t think some of them will be able to open again.
“I think we’ve clearly got to be sympathetic to help the businesses as they stand at the moment.”
Board members were split 5-5 over the application, leading Mr Fotheringham to approve the 2am application with his casting vote.
Mr King recorded his dissent over the decision.
Mrs Glendinning said: “We’re happy they granted it.
“We have no problems in our pub.
“Every pub is run differently and if they get further applications then the board will have to look at them on their own merits.”
