Pub wins battle for extra opening hours (From Daily Echo)

King George wins battle for extra opening hours in Shirley

8:04am Wednesday 12th November 2008 in News By Simon Carr, Eastleigh Chief Reporter

CHEERS: Locals lift a glass having written a letter to the city council which helped win extended

PUNTERS at a Southampton pub have helped win a few extra hours’ drinking time at their favourite watering hole.

Letters from customers were high on the agenda when the city council listened to a heated debate on whether the King George pub, in Shirley, should be granted extended hours.

Despite objections from environmental health officers, the King George – which hosts live music – will now be shutting its doors at 12.30am from Sundays to Thursdays and at 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Environmental health officer Tim Rains told Southampton City Council’s licensing sub-committee that before the current owners took over at the pub, in Oakley Road, it had been the subject of two noise abatement notices and had been prosecuted.

He went on to say that while new owners Wayne and Roseanne Johnston had “an excellent record”, his office was concerned that residents would be more likely to be disturbed by noise later at night if this application was approved.

The husband and wife claim that since taking over in October they have turned the pub around by kicking out troublemakers, upping to age of admission to 21 and changing the jukebox.

Had bad name The customers’ letters praise their management.

One resident, who had lodged a complaint about the pub under its previous management, said: “Mr and Mrs Johnston have demonstrated that they have had the best interest of the local community at heart.”

Another said: “The pub has had a bad name in the area but since Wayne and Rose Johnston took over the pub there is no trouble.”

Sub-committee chairman Paul Holmes said that the group would grant the application as the couple had managed to stamp out trouble at the venue.

Speaking after the decision, Wayne Johnston said: “I’m glad the council listened to us and that now we can move forward. We have turned this pub around from a trouble spot to a family-orientated, community pub and it is these customers were are looking to appeal to.”