Hearing to decide whether cocktail bar can open

WV1 Cocktail Bar wants to open in an empty building on Princess Street

A hearing is set to decide whether a new cocktail bar can open in Wolverhampton city centre.

WV1 Cocktail Bar wants to open in an empty building on Princess Street, formerly occupied by Revolution bar before its closure in 2013.

Under the plans the bar would open until 02:00 every day, with alcohol and late-night refreshments served until 01:30.

West Midlands Police, West Midlands Fire Service and several council bodies had objected to the application, but have since withdrawn their concerns after talks with the owner. A licence meeting scheduled for 7 August is to decide the outcome.

Nicholas Forrester from RND Leisure, the company behind the initial application, had asked for permission to open until 03:00, which was revised after talks between the bar, police and the council.

Some early objections centred on the bar's siting within the city centre's so-called "cumulative impact zone", an area subject to extra rules.

The council's latest licensing policy, which was updated this year, puts the onus on applicants to prove how new venues would not add to existing alcohol-fuelled issues.

Applications would be refused in higher-risk "cumulative impact zones" unless applicants could show officials that their proposed venture would not compound such matters.

The council had previously approved plans for a new restaurant and flats on the site in 2021 but the work was never carried out.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.