Trial run for late opening at venues outside centre

Belfast bars and hotels outside the city centre are to be allowed to sell alcohol until 2am until January 31.

The move, agreed at Belfast Council’s Licensing Committee, represents an extension from the old 1am limit, with doors shutting at 3am to include the new one hour drink-up rule.

However, it will initially only apply for the Christmas and new year period  to allow members to monitor the effects of the changes on local residents.

City centre bars however can permanently serve drinks until 2am, and close at 3am, without the temporary provision under new licensing regulations.

Council officers will update the Licensing Committee in February on any issues that may arise.

New legislation introduced in October allowed pubs and hotels everywhere in Northern Ireland to apply to serve drinks until 2am up to 104 nights per year, and to extend drinking-up time from 30 minutes to an hour.

While it has already been agreed that city centre venues could avail of the changes, two applications for premises outside the city centre, Biddy Duffy’s, on Andersonstown Road, and Horatio Todds, Upper Newtownards Road to serve alcohol to 2am on Saturdays and other selected nights were submitted.

Councillors therefor decided to give all non city centre establishments a temporary trial period on the new regulations.

Green councillor Brian Smyth said: “We are in new territory here. But we don’t want to be hammering the hospitality industry, which is already on its knees, and I think we should give this a chance.

“We should come back and take a look at this in a couple of months, and see how things are panning out, and we can get feedback from residents, police and the venue itself.

DUP councillor Tracey Kelly said: “Having entertainment going on until three o’clock in the morning very close to people’s properties is just a bit too much at the moment, but I think we should give premises a fair chance and see how it goes.”