A FORMER nightclub in an upmarket Hampshire town could re-open – four years after it closed following complaints of rowdy behaviour by drinkers.

An application relating to the old Longs Wine Bar in Lymington High Street has been submitted to licensing chiefs at New Forest District Council.

A council spokesman said the licence would be granted if no “relevant” objections were received by July 8.

But several people have already contacted the town mayor, Cllr Michael White, to protest about the prospect of the bar reopening.

He said: “Serious problems arose under its last ownership and if there was any chance of that happening again it wouldn’t be acceptable.”

Cllr White also raised concerns about the lay-out of the bar, which is below street level.

He said: “It’s in a cellar with a very steep set of stairs. In my opinion it presents a fire risk and isn’t a suitable venue.

“If the application is granted there would need to be a strict limit on the number of people allowed in at any one time.”

The proposal has been submitted by Jack Glennie and Steven Lee, who want to open the bar between 10am and 1pm on Fridays and Saturdays and until midnight on weekdays and Sundays.

They are also seeking consent to stage live music from 6pm to 11pm Monday to Thursday and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

As reported in the Daily Echo, Longs closed in 2011 after losing its appeal against a cut in opening hours.

The bar was told to shut at 12.30am instead of 2am after police cited a catalogue of complaints about drunkenness and anti-social behaviour.

The ruling was a major blow to the town centre business, which described itself as Lymington’s only late party venue.

But Southampton magistrates dismissed the appeal after a three-day hearing and told the bar's owners to pay £10,320 costs.

The original cut in opening hours was ordered at a meeting of the district council’s licensing sub-committee.

Barrister Peter Savill, representing the police, told the hearing: “Licensing objectives have been seriously undermined to the detriment of those living and working in Lymington.

“A depressingly regular feature of the police evidence is the level of drunkenness by customers, both inside and outside the premises, which officers have to deal with time after time.”

Longs complained that the bar was being blamed for problems caused by people who had been to other venues in the town.

But a report to the sub-committee said customers were allowed to drink “excessive” amounts.