Hearing set to decide whether new cocktail bar can open in Wolverhampton city centre

Wolverhampton Council’s licensing committee will meet to rule whether the new WV1 Cocktail Bar can open in an empty building in Princess Street, Wolverhampton.

The city centre building has stood empty for more than a decade and was last occupied by Revolution bar before it closed in 2013.

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The council approved plans for a new restaurant and flats in 2021 but the work was never carried out.

The latest plans by Nicholas Forrester from RND Leisure would see the cocktail bar open until 2am every day. Alcohol and late night refreshments would be served until 1.30am.

The initial application had asked for permission to open until 3am but was revised after talks between the bar, West Midlands Police and Wolverhampton Council.

West Midlands Police, West Midlands Fire Service and a number of council bodies had earlier objected to the application but agreed to discuss the plans with the new club owner to avoid the need for a committee hearing. The objections have since been removed after talks.

A meeting has nevertheless been scheduled for August 7 to decide on the move.

Some of the objections were raised over the new cocktail bar sitting in within the city centre’s ‘cumulative impact zone’ which comes with extra rules due to it being a high-risk area.

Large parts of the city centre, including Princess Street, make up what the council calls a ‘cumulative impact zone’ because of the area’s higher crime and disorder rates and the ‘density’ of pubs, clubs, late-night venues and takeaways.

The council’s latest licensing policy, which was updated this year, puts the onus on applicants to prove how new venues would not add to existing alcohol-fuelled issues in ‘problem areas’.

Applications would be refused in higher-risk ‘cumulative impact zones’ unless the applicant proves the venue would not be a burden or add to existing alcohol-related problems.

West Midlands Police had objected saying the proposed 200-capacity cocktail bar’s application did not include enough information – particularly for a potential new venue in the city’s cumulative impact zone.

West Midlands Fire Service had also inspected the new venue and found several fire safety issues – including fire alarms and emergency lighting – but the owner agreed with officers to carry out the work.

Wolverhampton Council’s licensing and public health departments raised similar objections but were also willing to work with the cocktail bar to make sure it meet standards.

“The applicant has not provided licensing conditions which would support upholding the above licensing objectives or support their extensive licensing hours which have been applied for,” the force’s licensing officer said.

“The premise is located within Wolverhampton’s city centre cumulative impact zone, yet the applicant has not provided adequate detailed information as to how they will ensure that this new premise will not negatively impact upon the city.”