A controversial bid by an Aberdeen nightclub to become the city’s first to open until 4am has been thrown out by councillors.
Redemption, formerly known as The Priory, applied for an additional hour of opening at the weekend but said they would stop letting new patrons in from 2am.
But the plans were opposed by Police Scotland, the NHS and the city centre community council who feared a rise in anti-social behaviour and hospital admissions from late night revellers.
The council’s licensing board yesterday voted five to one to reject the application.
Andrew Thomson, solicitor for the Epic Group which owns the club, told the board that nightclubs across the city were being disadvantaged by pubs being granted licenses until 1am and the city’s casinos remaining open through the night.
Arguing that a six-month trial should be granted, he said: “Businesses are closing and people are losing their jobs.
“(The 3am rule) is actually promoting a drinking culture in the casinos… don’t think for a minute that everyone going there really likes roulette. ”
He pointed to the example of Fife where some clubs were recently allowed 4am opening with no adverse effects reported.
However health and police chiefs maintained their opposition with Sergeant Jill Flett of Police Scotland telling the board that there had been eight serious assaults in the past five weeks in the city centre with the levels of incidents rising steadily from midnight until 4am.
She said: “Police Scotland regularly deploys an extra 30 officers on Friday and Saturday nights.
“By granting this application it could set a precedent. We could see not hundreds but thousands of extra people on the streets at that time.”
Councillor Neil Copland said it was “effectively an application to give a six month commercial advantage to a business”.
But councillor Alan Donnelly said some of the police and NHS evidence “harkened back to the days of prohibition”.
He added: “I don’t want to see empty nightclubs and pubs in this city so why can’t we grant this six-month trial to see if it works?”
A further vote was held on whether the application could be brought back in one year’s time. Members voted four to two to deny the request.