Mud Club wins open hours fight

Harvey Bailey, who runs the Mud Club with his partner Emma Holland, told councillors his request for extra hours was a way to ensure the venue made enough money to survive.

The club can now offer drinking and dancing until 2.30am on Mondays, compared to 2am previously, and 4am on nine Saturdays a year against the previous 3am closing time.

The Saturday sessions are subject to the police being given two weeks' notice and having a total veto to stop them if they want.

Maundy Thursday from next year can also be regarded as a bank holiday for opening purposes to enable clubbers to enjoy themselves until 4am. This is two hours longer than before.

All the club's activities '“ including refreshments and adult entertainment, services and activities '“ can benefit from the additional times.

The times agreed by councillors were a compromise. Mr Bailey and Ms Holland's original request saw the club staying open up to 5.30am but they dropped this after the police insisted on stringent conditions to accompany the extra hours.

Mr Bailey said the additional opening times would be crucial when a new law takes effect on July 1 to force smokers outdoors from all leisure premises if they want to light up.

Mr Bailey said the drastic enforced change in behaviour would be on top of the effects of the licensing law since it came into force in November 2005.

'We do take our relationships with our neighbours seriously and do not wish to intrude on people's lives, but a change in the licensing laws has seen a significant change in customers' habits '“ meaning, on average, they come to the club an hour later than they used to.

'Our application is in response to this change because, from a business point of view, our revenue dropped significantly when the law changed. We are expecting a further drop in revenue when the smoking ban kicks in.'

Mr Bailey said the club was about to apply for planning permission to create a smokers' shelter on the wooden decking on the Waterloo Square corner of its premises.

With a couple of heaters, this area would be marshalled by a doorman and enable those desperate for a cigarette to light up on the club's doorstep. Some 70 per cent of the club's revellers are estimated to be smokers.

Councillors at Arun District Council's licensing sub-committee meeting last Fridaysaid Mr Bailey had to meet the club's neighbours once a year to ensure the extra opening time they granted did not cause any problems.

Sub-committee chairman Cllr Graham Tyler (Rustington West) said: 'We have taken into account the residents' concerns and feel that a condition needs to be place on the licence.

'This will mean the nightclub will arrange an annual meeting with its immediate neighbours and other interested parties to address any possible problems.'

The extra hours granted by the committee reflected a compromise between Mr Bailey and Ms Holland and Sussex Police.

The club owners originally wanted to open to 5am on bank holidays, 4am Fridays and Saturdays and 2am the rest of the week.

Two nearby residents '“ in Waterloo Square and Lennox Street '“ had complained to the council about the prospect of the additional hours.

They protested about the disturbance created by the revellers leaving the 400-capacity club since it opened two years ago.

Neither complainant was at the committee, though their letters were taken into account by councillors.

PC Dave Whitcombe, Sussex Police's licensing officer for the South Downs division, said no problems had been reported after Mud Club's temporary opening around Easter to 4am following permission from the council to stay open that late throughout the bank holiday weekend.