Commercial property public houses in the centre of Sheffield have submitted applications to Sheffield City Council to request to stay open until 4am
, seven days a week. The council have yet to discuss the applications, but the requests have been met by opposition from local residents.
The commercial properties in Sheffield that have put forward applications to stay open until 4am include:
80’s themed bar Reflex and 70’s themed bar Flares, currently serve alcohol until 1am on Monday and Wednesday, 2am on Thursday and Sunday and 3am on Friday and Saturday. However, bosses at the commercial properties want to be able to serve alcohol until 3am every night, with doors closing at 4am.
So far five people have made an objection to the application. Andrew Jeffrey lives in West Point apartments on West Street, which is a vibrant, lively part of town, expressed, “We live across the road and we need sleep, as we work. Our effectiveness at work is reduced due to lack of sleep caused by noisy people outside Reflex and Flares, and the noise from inside.”
Another local resident, Matthew Dilley stated, “There is already a significant amount of late night noise and granting an extension to the licence is not only unnecessary but would make the level of noise intolerable for many residents.”
However, some people may argue that if you want a peaceful night’s sleep, you shouldn’t choose to live in the middle of a city. Matthew added, “I recognise that, by living in the city centre, there will always be a certain level of noise but the right balance should be struck.”
Owner of Viper Lounge and Viper Rooms, Harewood Ltd originally requested to stay open until 6am, but Sheffield City Council recommended that no entry should be allowed after 2am. Harewood Ltd took the council’s comments onboard and decided to request permission to stay open until 4am instead.
Rob Murphy from the Green Party Central has expressed his opposition to Viper Lounge and Viper Rooms staying open later on behalf of local resident, “The premises are close to 30 apartments. The residents already have to contend with a lot of late night noise and anti-social behaviour.”
“Currently, this does not extend past 3.30am and allows the residents the expectation of at least a four-hour window with limited noise to get much-needed sleep.” Rob added.
However, some people may feel that there is not enough demand for Flares and Reflex to justify staying open until 4am. In 2008 Flares moved to a smaller location, which is situated under the Reflex bar. With the bar downsizing in size, are enough people coming through the doors to stay open until four o’clock in the morning? Like us, you will have to wait for the council’s decision.
