Swansea Wind Street bar has 'far worse' licence after £200,000 revamp

The bar owner said he was aiming to broaden its appeal to a wider range of customers

A businessman who spent £200,000 upgrading a bar in Swansea city centre has claimed the new licence for the venue is "far worse" than the old one.

Bruno Nunes said the revamp of the Bambu Beach Bar on Wind Street should have allowed an increase from 620 to 770 customers on fire safety grounds.

Police said the expansion risked an increase in crime, disorder and noise.

Swansea councillors kept the capacity at 620 and insisted on security staff working from 21:00 BST on busy nights.

The refurbishment included a new emergency exit, more toilets and more seating "to appeal to a broader demographic", according to Mr Nunes.

In their evidence to councillors, South Wales Police said the licence application had not outlined whether there was an intention to increase the bar's capacity, which the force said went against the special policy to tackle late-night trouble on Wind Street.

Bambu can be found on Wind Street, where councillors want to encourage a daytime "cafe culture"

A solicitor for the applicant said capacity increase was not the reason for the refurbishment, although Mr Nunes said the scope for more customers had been "blatantly clear".

However, councillors said they were concerned that the potential increase "could have a negative impact in respect of the licensing objective for the prevention of crime and disorder as raised by South Wales Police".

As well as keeping capacity at 620, the bar has to have security staff present from 21:00 on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and on Sundays preceding a bank holiday.

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Mr Nunes, whose Creative Hospitality Group also runs the Peppermint, Brewstone and Brewdog bars in Swansea, said: "What we have now is a far worse licence", pointing to the extra expense on security.

He said his business had invested when others were contracting and cutting costs.

"My job is to do everything I can to increase the chance of success," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"If I knew this would have happened, the investment would not have happened."