Queen’s University’s pristine new student union has received a 2am licence to provide entertainment, an hour earlier than the old building’s 3am licence.
At Belfast City Council ’s Licensing Committee this week, elected representatives unanimously agreed a provisional grant for a seven-day annual indoor entertainments licence with extended hours from 1am to 2am for the new QUB One Elmwood Student Centre, which opened this month.
All applications to provide indoor entertainment beyond 1.00 am are subject to consideration by the Licensing Committee. The council report states: “To assist the University in the circumstances where the building is ready to open for the start of the new term, in advance of consideration of this application for an extension in hours to 2.00am, the Entertainment Licence has been issued permitting the premises to operate to 1.00 am.”
The student centre applied for licensing covering Sunday to Wednesday, 12.00pm to 1.00am the following morning and Thursday to Saturday, 12.00pm to 1.00am the following morning.
The areas proposed for licence to provide indoor entertainment are the new Mandela Hall on the ground floor, with a maximum occupancy of 1,300, and the second floor bar, with a maximum occupancy of 7800.
The council report states: “The applicant has stated that the extension of hours to 2.00 am from Thursday to Saturday is to enable them to offer their student population a comprehensive package of entertainment and to be competitive in the local area.”
Public notice of the application was placed and no written representation was received by the council as a result of the advertisement. The Police Service of Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service were consulted and confirmed they had no objection to the application.
Elected representatives agreed to the new licence on the condition that when Mandela Hall is in use, all exiting from the Annex Bar, Union Bar and Mandela Hall after 11.00pm shall be directed to University Road.
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