PLANS to reopen an Italian restaurant were given a boost after an alcohol licence was granted despite concerns from residents.

A Hyndburn Council licensing sub-committee meeting last week heard Adam Chapman, who owns the Strawbury Duck in Entwistle and San Marino in Belmont, could scrap his plan to reopen The Pack in Belthorn if councillors don’t decide to approve his application for a premises licence.

Members were told Mr Chapman, director of applicants Switzer Holdings Ltd, had already revised the proposed opening hours from 10am to 2am every day to 10am to 11pm on weekdays and 10am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Following the meeting, committee members have now decided to grant the licence with conditions in place to limit the impact on people living nearby.

As per the terms of the licence, customers won’t be allowed to take drinks into the external area after 9pm and signs will be placed at the exit advising customers of this.

There will be no amplified music permitted in the external areas and no speakers will be situated in the external areas at any time.

When requested to order taxis for customers, the premises will utilise a taxi company who have previously agreed not to sound their horns to signal their arrival.

Speaking on behalf of Mr Chapman at the meeting, his solicitor Sam Ford said: “The building is sitting empty gathering dust and the longer this continues, the more the building falls into disrepair.

"The timings we initially applied for were the same as those on the old licence. We did not expect this application to be controversial and we did not expect objections, certainly not to the level we received. In hindsight maybe that was a bit naive.”

Ms Ford added although eight residents had objected, there were no objections for the authorities and no evidence to suggest granting the licence would breach the council’s licensing objectives.

Representations were made at the meeting asking Mr Chapman to push the opening hours back to midday, while objectors said residents had long been affected by noise travelling from the outside terrace to the homes of people living nearby.

Making representations on behalf of residents, Cllr Marlene Haworth said: “This is a beautiful, quiet and peaceful village and to have a pub open at these hours, you will get noise.

“As councillor for this area, I have received phone calls late at night from people who live directly opposite the pub complaining about the noise.”

Ms Ford told the committee it was unlikely The Pack would actually open from 10am every day but that the licence would give them the option if they wanted to serve breakfasts in the future.

The Pack went up for sale with Keenans Estate Agents in February for offers in the region of £419,950.

It closed after seven years in January with former owner Karl Elsworth saying the decision was made with huge regret.