Councillors on the Lochaber Area Divisional Licensing Board, which met for the final time on Monday, strayed from policy guidelines to grant a 1am Sunday licence to the Volunteer Arms, but stuck to the guidelines to reject an application by the Station Bar for extended hours on every day of the week, including 2am licences for Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

It led to calls for an across-the-board review of licensing hours to assess whether local and visitor needs are being met in Lochaber, and Fort William in particular.

Kate MacDonald, on behalf of the Volunteer Arms, argued that an extra hour on Sundays was vital “for survival more than anything else”.

“Most pubs need this, to be honest,” she told councillors. “We provide live music on Sunday, Scottish music mainly. We need the extra hour to make it worthwhile. Bands are expensive.

“The Capercaillie has a late licence and most people disappear up there at closing time. It’s very sad that the rest of the pubs are not getting a chance.”

And Mrs MacDonald added: “You (the licensing board) throw licences at us for the Mod and the mountain bike events. What if we were to turn round and refuse to use them? We’ve all got to make a living on the High Street, but it’s getting harder and harder.”

Northern Constabulary made no objection to the extension but submitted a letter of observation noting that the bar did not meet the criteria within the licensing board’s guidelines in relation to “operating as bona fide discotheques”.

On the casting vote of chairman Thomas MacLennan, the board agreed to grant the extension for a three-month “test” period.

However, Cllr MacLennan’s motion, seconded by Cllr Olwyn Macdonald, to grant the extended hours to the Station Bar, also for a three-month period, was defeated 4-2.

Alasdair Fraser, who, with his wife Sandra, has run the bar in Middle Street for the past 14 years, said there was demand from punters for later hours, particularly since the loss of McTavish’s Kitchens last summer. He had invested £10,000 in karaoke equipment to serve an intended customer base of over-25s “not interested in disco-type entertainment”.

This would encourage a larger female presence in the pub said Mr Fraser, which in turn would reduce aggressive drinking.

However, the bid was strongly opposed by Fort William Police who cited “a likelihood of a detrimental effect on public safety”. Five incidents, including assaults, were listed by Northern Constabulary as having taken place in or outside the bar premises.

Mr Fraser said he conformed to Lochaber Pubwatch and Servewise. He added: “I don’t think we’ve had any more trouble than any other places. If an incident is going to happen it’s not just because it’s Alasdair Fraser’s bar. We’ve collaborated with the council and police in every way we can.

“People are coming to this town and shaking their heads. We’re promoting ourselves as the Outdoor Capital but there’s nowhere to go late at night. The town is disappearing in front of our eyes. We’re just asking for a chance to cater for older people. The young people are catered for.”

Cllr Macdonald said: “I think this is an opportunity. I think we’ve got to remember that we can get incidents happening outside pubs which are absolutely nothing to do with the owners, especially with the smoking ban meaning people are standing outside. Niggles can happen.”

And Cllr MacLennan said he was keen to know what “pro-active” measures were being taken by the local police to ensure the High Street remained a safe and vibrant night spot for locals and tourists.

Cllr Drew McFarlane Slack said the Station Bar had not demonstrated the benefits of a later licence. He said: “I don’t think this passes the test set down in our guidelines.

“Generally, I am in support of testing extended hours but we really need some official evidence that there is unmet need in the High Street.

“There may be a case now with the loss of McTavish’s but we need evidence. Perhaps this is something the successor licensing authority will look seriously at.

“Clearly there is pressure on our guidelines but we need to take a structured approach, not approve one-off cases.”

* In future, Lochaber licensing matters will be dealt with by a joint Ross, Skye and Lochaber board. The first such meeting will be on June 19 – at a venue yet to be decided.

All licensees in the Highlands are to receive a letter advising them of the new arrangements, introduced as a result of this May’s council reorganisation.

s.taylor@lochaber-news.co.uk<

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