A Kingston pub which was on the "verge of closing" before a new landlord took it over can stay open until 3am despite locals objecting to the hours.

Neighbours raised fears they would be disturbed by rowdy punters late at night if Whelans on Richmond Road was allowed to stay open later on Fridays and Saturdays, but Kingston Council ruled the premises could manage the new hours it had requested.

Solicitor Andrew Cochrane said the pub had been on the verge of closing down before being taken "back from the brink" by new landlord Austin Whelan, who renamed the venue and reopened it in 2018. Mr Cochrane told the council's licensing committee on February 7, up to £400,000 was spent on revamping the pub after Mr Whelan took over.

He said: "Mr Whelan has done a fantastic job on a pub which was frankly coming towards the end and would have been lost to the community. He's turned it back to a real community asset and I think you can trust him, you can trust him, to be able to operate these premises." 

He also said: "It's been a tough time for the trade. We've had Covid, we've now got the energy costs, we've got the costs of everything frankly going up and Mr Whelan does need to make the assets work that he has for him and he does perceive that there is a demand for extra hours for these premises."

He added: "Mr Whelan's invested far too much money, too much time and too much effort getting to this point now for him to blow it and there is no evidence based on what I've seen so far that he would." 

It comes after neighbours wrote to the council objecting to the changes. One objector said: "The residents are often disturbed by antisocial behaviour in Canbury Park Road coupled with sirens from emergency services dealing with drunken behaviour and fights and feel this will only increase with extending licence hours. We can see no reason for such a small pub to be open until 3am for even two nights."

Another said: "I think the extended hours will lead to an increase in public nuisance including noise as people depart Whelans and an increase in drunkenness and anti-social behaviour arising from the opportunity to drink for longer. Noise levels and drunken behaviour affects sleep in this residential area and increases concern for property and safety."

Mr Cochrane said there are robust conditions on the pub's licence, including plans for noise management and door staff. He said he did not see any objections saying that Whelans is "already causing them a problem" and in his view, this is "significant and a tribute to the work which Mr Whelan has done". 

A council report on the decision to grant the changes reads: "In closing, the applicant's representative said the pub which had been on the verge of closing down, had been turned into a community asset by Mr Whelan and he could be trusted to operate these premises satisfactorily to the new hours requested."

It says: "The licensing sub-committee noted that where the premises had been open under Temporary Event Notices (TENs) since October on Saturday nights, on 12 occasions, until 3am, it had been without complaints and that no observations were made by those making representations of disturbance from such later hours. It clearly showed a lack of disturbance to those objecting to the application and that the premises could manage such hours."

The pub is now allowed to sell booze until 2.45am and close at 3am on the mornings following Fridays and Saturdays. It can sell booze until 1.30am on the mornings following Mondays to Thursdays and until 12am on Sundays – closing 15 minutes later.