Residents have won a fight to stop a Leicester city centre pub staying open later.
The owners of the Goose on Hotel Street, near Leicester Cathedral, had applied for permission to serve alcohol and keep the pub open until 2.30am at weekends – an hour later than at present.
But local councillors and residents were worried it could be a step that "opened the floodgates" for other Hotel Street pubs becoming more like nightclubs, creating crime and noise problems.
At a Leicester City Council licensing hearing yesterday, Mary Parkes, who lives nearby, spoke on behalf of residents.
She said: "I've lived in Friar Lane for eight years and I have two children. It's 57 steps from my house to the front door of this pub and I'm worried that with the noise and the dancing, my children won't get their sleep.
"If Hotel Street becomes like Belvoir Street and Church Gate, people aren't going to shop at the market because it will mean stepping over puke and urine in the morning."
The pub's owners wanted it to open until 2.30am on Fridays and Saturdays, and 1.30am on other days. They also wanted permission for live music.
The licensing panel heard from city centre councillor Patrick Kitterick, who warned the move would "ruin a peaceful area".
He said: "Hotel Street is in the historic heart of the city and increasingly it is becoming a residential area. We're encouraging people to live there. The whole area will deteriorate on the back of this."
Nick Walton, representing the Stonegate Pub Company, which owns the Goose, said the pub had no intention of changing into a nightclub.
He said: "It will continue to be a pub with a significant food offering that attracts an older patron.
"It's not a place where you get smashed on a Friday or Saturday evening and spill out on to the street. We are not planning to operate a discotheque."
He said there had been no noise complaints about the pub or police objections to the application.
The licensing panel was made up of city councillors Annette Byrne, Gary Hunt and Manjula Sood.
Councillor Hunt said: "The Goose is part of an area of pubs and this could open the floodgates.
"We have to look at the balance between residential amenity and the night-time economy."
After considering their decision, the councillors ruled they would allow live music at the pub between 10am and 11.30pm but there would be no extension to opening hours.
They also told the owners to install a noise-limiting device and to ensure they did not open their side door, a disabled access point, when music was playing.
Other application at yesterday's licensing meeting included:
The Nine bar, in Narborough Road, Leicester, was given permission to stay open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, on the condition the outside area was not used after midnight.
The new hours are in line with similar businesses in the area.
The pub's owners had wanted to open until 2am but altered their request after negotiations with ward councillors Sarah Russell and Andy Connelly.
A new entertainment venue has been granted a liquor and entertainment licence.
The Venue, in Gwendolen Road, Evington, can show plays and films and stage concerts, boxing and wrestling.
The premises, which opened in October for community events, will be able to serve alcohol until 1am on Mondays to Thursdays, with the building closing at 2am.
On Fridays and Saturdays, alcohol can be served until 2am and the closing time will be 3.30am.
The owners had applied for a 24-hour licence but Leicester City Council's noise team had concerns for nearby residents.
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