An underground concert room catering for hundreds of people will open at Wolverhampton’s most well-known music venue after a U-turn by objectors.

The Civic Hall yesterday won approval to open up the basement for live bands and comedy shows, giving the North Street building its first extension since it opened in 1938. Objections lodged by the police and fire service have now been withdrawn, so a planned meeting of Wolverhampton City Council’s licensing sub-committee was cancelled at the last minute yesterday.

It had been expected that the plans would be rejected but Civic Hall bosses have convinced the authorities that an underground concert room would be safe.

The basement will have a bar and will be able to be converted into a function room if need be, with portable seating equipment on hand.

Civic Hall bosses said the council-owned venue, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, had continued to defy the credit crunch, with the extension being needed for some time.

General manager Mark Blackstock said: “It’s fantastic news for us; this will be the first extension since the Civic Hall was created, and it comes as a real boost. We are trying to change with the times here and offer a better facility, even with the problems the economy is facing.’

The fire service withdrew its objections after Civic Hall bosses confirmed that an internal staircase would be used to get down to the basement.

The police originally objected because of fears over crime but that was withdrawn too, prompting the cancellation of the sub-committee deliberations.

International promoters are understood to be keen to book the basement for gigs.