Popular Corby old village pub wants to open until 3am - but not everyone is happy about it

Pub landlord Glen McClintock also wants permission for outdoor music. He says in planning documents that he wants to ‘open earlier and close later to capitalise our revenue due to the current financial climate’.

Many pubs around the country are diversifying, opening later and changing their offering in order to keep the struggling sector alive.

The application to North Northamptonshire Council states that the proposed opening hours are from 10am to 3am on Fridays and Saturdays and until midnight every other night. Currently the premises close at midnight.

But the application has attracted criticism from people living locally. Chair of the Corby Old Village Community Association (COVNA) Bev Blackburn said: "Corby Old Village is a designated conservation area in the town and consequently, we work very hard to maintain this.

“The White Hart is directly opposite residential homes and they tolerate the midnight licence but anything after this is not supported.”

The objection says that the houses are mainly occupied by elderly residents.

It goes on: “Having shouting/drinking/arguments etc which 'go with the territory' of late licences is not acceptable for a residential area, with homes not more than 10 yards from the front of the pub.

"We have experienced all of these negative human behaviours, first hand, from The Village Inn when it was a late licence establishment, along with other disgraceful behaviours including sex acts and drug taking/trading.”

“A late licence attracts undesirable people and behaviours as, unfortunately, people don't remain in charge of their emotions when drinking etc for hours on end.

“COVNA understands the difficulties licensed establishments are facing within the hospitality trade and we do not want to see them fail. But, we do believe that a midnight licence is plenty for a residential establishment.”

In written submissions, PC David Bryan, who oversees licensing matters for the Northamptonshire Police, described a serious fight that happened in May this year at closing time, with several people injured.

He said: “Officers arrived shortly afterwards with numerous walking wounded around the area and one adult male laying on the floor in the doorway of the pub with a significant laceration to the back of his head.

“It was stated by people at the scene that several people had attended the pub for a night out, and that one of them had exited the front of the pub and had begun to urinate up the wall outside. A member of staff at the pub challenged the male outside about this, the male became instantly aggressive and proceeded to throw the member of staff into the doorway of the pub.

"The noise from the commotion led to numerous other people.. engaging in a fight.”

The men involved in the fight fled the scene and have never been identified.

An 80-year-old resident who lives opposite the pub said in her written objection: “I have lived here for eight years. Naturally I made enquiries about what to expect from a public house so near to the property I was considering to buy. I was told it was a family pub and all music (indoors) finished by 11pm and crowds usually dispersed by midnight. I was quite happy with that and have been quite happy here until the arrival of the present landlords.

"The constant external music broadcasts made me think I was living in an all-day disco - and the thought now that this 'family pub' is about to become a 'night club' fills me with horror. The crowds leaving the pub do not disperse when the venue closes. The recent melee involving a large number of police is a case in point.

“I cannot support the granting of this extension and object to it strongly.”

The council’s licensing sub-committee will meet next Thursday at 9am at Swanspool House in Wellingborough to discuss the application.