A COCKTAIL bar’s weekend opening hours will be extended despite noise concerns from residents.

Bosses at Lounge Bar, in Gisburn Road, Barrowford, have been granted temporary approval by Pendle Council to increase opening times for an additional two hours on a Friday and Saturday night.

The bar has been given permission to open later for a period of 12 months, on condition that music stops at midnight on Friday and Saturday night to minimise noise the disturbance for residents living in nearby properties.

Gareth Bradshaw, owner of The Lounge, said the business needs to open longer to attract more customers.

He said: “We need to improve our takings to service and provide our services.“Therefore we wish to extend our opening hours to keep our clients who move on to Colne or Burnley in the Lounge.”

Neighbouring residents have strongly objected to the later opening hours because they fear it will affect the quality of sleep for older residents and wake up young children.

Carly Odgen, of Sharp Street, lives in a property that overlooks the rear entrance to the premises and strongly objects to the extension.

She said: “We already have to deal with people urinating on the back street and I feel extended hours will only make this worse later on into the night.

“I have a young child who has been woken by these back street antics.

“Barrowford already has venues with longer opening hours and we certainly don’t need another one.”

She also said residential flats across the road at the front of the premises were occupied by older people and said the later hours will affect their quality of sleep.

Holly Stinchon and Matthew Pye, of Gisburn Road, said the everyday operations of the business currently disturbed neighbours and would be ‘compounded’ by allowing the bar to operate into the early hours of the morning.

They said: “Barrowford is a small village not a busy town centre.”

Barrowford Parish Council also objected to the application because of the number of noise complaints they received from residents in the area.

However cocktail bar customers have openly supported the extended hours.

Local business owner Rebecca Crescent said: “I love the place. It’s a great setting for me as a customer.

“I think these times are reasonable and also because people who socialise at the weekend don’t go out until later now so it would be much better if the lounge was able to stay open slightly later.”

Customer Ryan Collins, of Gisburn Road, said: “We are in close proximity to the Lounge Bar and have found, since the business opening, it has made a positive contribution to the culture of Barrowford.”