Whitby: Police withdraw licence appeal after sale of JK's bar

JK's bar on Wellington Road in Whitby will be allowed to reopen under new management

A bar in Whitby which had faced losing its licence has been told it can reopen after police withdrew their complaint following its sale to a new owner.

North Yorkshire Police had applied for JK's to have its licence revoked after a series of complaints.

It had previously said the former owners had shown "complete disregard" for residents and the authorities.

However, after the bar in Wellington Road was sold, the force said it was no longer seeking a review.

At a licencing meeting, Sgt Tom Stoffel told councillors that "since the property had been sold to a new owner, the police would now withdraw the application", according to the the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said

However, concerns about the bar's future were still expressed by the head of the licensing committee, Tim Grogan.

The former police officer said he was "disappointed" and "unhappy" that the review did not go ahead, having previously heard there had been eight licence breaches and 21 police incidents at the bar.

The previous owner was not present at the hearing but Russell Vickers, representing the new owners - Northern Bay Leisure, assured the committee the premises would remain closed until improvements were made. 

He said there would be investment in the bar and an entirely new staff, adding that the bar would be renamed.

Mr Grogan said he was pleased to hear about the steps being taken to address the issues.