Owners of the once-controversial Draft Project have won a 10-month fight with licensing chiefs to prove the Aberdeen beer tent is an indoor venue.
The glazed, steel marquee in the carved-out shell of the former Bruce Millers music shop opened during the Covid pandemic, when only outdoor socialising was allowed.
Later opening hours with The Draft Project’s new ‘indoors’ designation
And now licensing chiefs have ruled the pop-up could be classed as an indoor space, unlocking later trading hours.
An automated noise management system will have to be installed in the venue, limiting music to 77 decibels.
Government flexibility in licensing laws during the pandemic – which allowed owners PB Devco to open in the first place – has now come to an end, forcing these more rigorous checks.
The explosion of joy came as the Scottish men’s football team qualified for the first major tournament in more than 20 years.
That evening also saw PB Devco operations director Paul Clarkson arrested for dealing cocaine.
Indoors? Outdoors? What’s the difference?
Whether the Draft Project is inside or out is the difference between closing at 10pm or 1am and being able to play music for punters.
Last August, police licensing sergeant Gillian Flett said: “the police’s opinion is this is a covered outdoor area”.
But today, the council’s principal environmental health officer Andrew Gilchrist said: “The definition of outdoor areas was developed during the Covid pandemic.
“It really is in regards to semi-open situations like marquees where you had an element of open sides.
“There is no doubt in my mind that this does not qualify as an outdoor area. It is a semi-permanent structure so I would suggest that any conditions attached to outdoor areas are not applicable.”
Owners PB Devco bosses failed to convince Aberdeen’s Licensing Board should be an indoor venue at that previous August meeting, rather than an outdoor extension of the neighbouring Howff.
It meant a music ban and a strict 10pm closing time.
The Draft Project is ‘no doubt’ indoors… for now
Since then, the council has awarded two-year planning permission for the semi-permanent structure in Langstane Place.
Today, the licensing board ruled a noise impact assessment had satisfied them that the Draft Project was soundproof enough to be classed as indoors.
The pub will be allowed to remain open until midnight through the week and until 1am on Friday and Saturday nights.
Members may be forced to review today’s decision in May 2024, if the two-year planning permission for the site is revoked.
“If the structure is removed, then fairly clearly it’s no longer indoors if the door has been taken away,” depute board clerk Sandy Munro quipped.
“Were circumstances to change two years down the line then the licence would need to be reviewed at that point.”
