A fancy cocktail bar aimed at women has been granted permission to open until 3.30am below dozens of apartments in Bristol city centre despite neighbours’ objections. Adventure Bar was given a premises licence to sell alcohol until midnight on the ground floor of vacant offices at 28 Baldwin Street and 3am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in the larger basement area, which has a capacity of 350 people, and 2am on other nights, with it closing half an hour later.
Twenty-eight residents objected to the application with concerns that noise, antisocial behaviour and cigarette smoke drifting up from a designated outside area would harm their mental health and quality of life. Leaseholder Rob Mitchell told a Bristol City Council licensing sub-committee hearing on Thursday, March 31: “It’s the wrong use in the wrong location in the wrong building.
A nightclub below 53 homes, seven days a week, with large numbers of inebriated people is going to be very difficult. This will cause anxiety to families living above. The proposed use is in conflict with the existing use, which is residential. The people were here first.”
Read more: Plans for 'fancy' cocktail bar to replace offices in Bristol city centre
Neighbour Jack Holmes said: “The idea of having 400 people partying until 3am in my basement scares me.” Their main concern was the hours of operation, which could be 16.5 hours a day as the panel approved the application to trade from 10am daily, although the operators said they were unlikely to be open all permitted times.
Adventure Bar also agreed to reduce the licensable activities in the basement by an hour to 2am from Sunday to Wednesday after hearing the concerns but said the suggestion of closing at midnight was not financially viable because of the running costs, rent and a major refurbishment that is required.
This includes adding soundproof layers to the floor and ceiling of the ground floor and installing a noise limiter, conditions which were recommended in a sound report and agreed with the council’s pollution control team, which then withdrew its representation before the hearing.
Solicitor James Anderson, representing applicants +Venture Battersea, said the premises had existing licences until 4am in the basement and for a restaurant until midnight above it. He said that if the application for Adventure Bar was not granted, those current permits held by the landlord could be used anyway for an hour later than proposed and potentially by a less reputable operator.
Mr Anderson said the venue would not operate as a nightclub as most people would be seated, entry was free and there was no large dancefloor, so it was very different to nearby Pop World. “It is a premium-end cocktail experience that is particularly popular with women over 25,” he said, adding that 80 per cent of clientele were women at its other outlets, mostly in London.
“The noise report concludes there won’t be any noise impact from the basement because it is below ground, but on the ground floor there may be, so some work needs to be done. We are confident there won't be any breakthrough noise to residents.
"Adventure Bar is a good, responsible operator. It is used to operating in city centres with residents above. With regard to residents’ concerns about crime and antisocial behaviour, we will benefit the area because at the moment the ground floor is closed, as is Dough Pizza next door, so there is a dead area with flats above that isn’t particularly well lit.”
He said Adventure Bar would add a presence to the street, install CCTV and make the area more secure. Adventure Bar group co-founder Tobias Jackson told the hearing: “I completely understand and empathise that residents are very concerned. We have been trading for 17 years and have had no ongoing issues whatsoever.
"We have worked with residents and are committed to that. We don’t want to cause a nuisance. The conditions we have put in are around trying to make residents’ lives better, not worse.”
Announcing the panel’s decision, sub-committee chairwoman Cllr Fi Hance said neighbours’ concerns about fire safety in a high-rise had no basis because Avon Fire & Rescue Service had not submitted an objection. She said that although the venue was in the city centre cumulative impact area (CIA), which meant the presumption was to refuse because of a “saturation” of licensed premises, the police – who are the driving force behind the CIA being in force – had not made a representation so were satisfied.
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