Well, it seems from reading all of the threads over the last few months, that the common view is that Sheffield closes to damn early at night. This is the Fourth largest city in the Country and closes in the evening quicker than a Catholic girls legs.
I used to live in a really small town and never struggled to find a nice bar to drink in til about 3am. And now I am in Student-Ville i find myself going out at 6.30pm just so that I am not as sober as a judge when the lights go out.
There are plenty of clubs, but I dont want to stand in a dark room waiting for my ears to start bleeding. If there was at least one bar (not takapuna) open til 2 or 3 I would sleep a lot better at night.
Does any one know if there is a reason for this closing time? Is there a council restriction?
If we signed a petition and informed Mr Geldof, do you think we could start 'Late Aid'? A few local bands on the Dev Green should make the councillors sit up and take note.
We could even march through the streets and beat some policemen up....thats seems to be the way to do things nowadays..

When is that late licencing thing Tony was talking about coming in?

August the 3rd is the closing date for applications, the start date is November 3rd.

Most bars are applying for 1am/2am Mon to Sat and 12pm on Sunday.

We've got 1am Monday to Saturday and 12pm Sun. Well, we will when i take over at the end of the month.

lol!

Sheffield has had big problems with its licensing magistrates for years. After all, it was only when I went away to college in the mid-eighties that I realised other cities had 11pm closing through the week - Sheffield boozers shut at 10.30pm in those days.

Then there were the tortuous efforts to open The Republic in 1994. The private funding was there, the building was there, the plans for what was then a very progressive club concept were there - but the magistrates decreed that Sheffield 'did not need' another nightclub. This was when there were only about 5 nightclubs in town and the last one to be granted a licence was The Leadmill about 12 years previously!

There was a huge public outcry as this was a time when other cities' nightlife scenes were surging ahead and Sheffield was haemorrhaging young people to Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham every weekend. Eventually the decision was overturned on appeal, though it was a close thing, and it wasn't so long afterwards that the Republic became one of the most famous clubbing venues in the UK, if not Europe.

Around the same time as the Republic debacle, the magistrates seemed to be knocking back perfectly respectable applications left, right and centre. There was another well-publicised battle when the Lyceum Theatre wanted to allow people to order alcohol and sit at tables on Tudor Square, just outside their main entrance. Rather inevitably, the application was rejected. No matter that any old alcy could stock up on Special Brew at their local offy and sit in the Square getting tanked up if they so desired - a highly respected theatre management was not deemed trustworthy enough to offer its patrons a pint or a glass of wine to be consumed outside on a summer evening.

Again, this decision was eventually overturned after much argument in the local press, but if I recall correctly, the theatre was burdened by so many restrictions that it almost didn't seem worth it.

They also made it tremendously difficult to put on parties or any kind of after-hours event. When Steve Beckett of Warp Records organised an alcohol-free all-nighter, the licensing department seemed intent on finding fault with the event and causing Steve no end of grief. And over at The Crucible, a series of foyer bar cabaret events that were open till midnight were curtailed after just a few weeks when it was made clear that they were to be viewed as 'special' - on no account could the citizens of the city be granted such luxury on a long term basis.

So, things have changed in the intervening years, but there still seems to be a climate of restriction, obstruction and needless bureaucracy. Whether the recent legislation will make a big difference remains to be seen.

Crystal is open till like 1 most nights of the week. Wednesday, tomorrow, they serve till 1, and kick out at 1.30 that's quite good really.

Originally posted by starmag

Does any one know if there is a reason for this closing time? Is there a council restriction?
A few local bands on the Dev Green should make the councillors sit up and take note.


It is a common misperception that councillor's are responsible for licensing. They are not. Closing times are a matter for the magistrate's court.

The Licensing Act 2003 comes into effect in early November - see post from TheWatcher for precise information. All
licensing matters will then be transferred from the courts to the Licensing Board.

All existing licensed premises have until early August to apply for a new license. These will be automatically granted (so called 'grandfather's rights'), including any variations to opening and closing times, unless there is an objection from either a local resident or the police.

The Licensing Board (comprising 15 councillors, of whom 3 must now sit on each individual hearing) is currently sheduling 3 sittings a week from next week until end the end of September to cope with the anticipated volume of objections to new licenses (if these cannot be resolved by council officers).

I sit on the Licensing Board, and unfortunately haven't booked any holidays during the next 3 months. By the time I've finished my marathon stint, I reckon I shall need a drink! :hihi: