PLANS for Hove’s second micropub have been dashed after it was refused a licence.

Landlady Nicky Conlan has been unsuccessful in a bid for a licence to open the no-frills pub at the site of a former clothes shop in Western Road, Hove.

The applicants had claimed that the micropub could help to tackle excessive drinking in the city.

But a panel of councillors ruled that another drinking establishment could add to anti-social behaviour in the area as well as creating excessive noise for residents.

Ms Conlan had hoped to convert the Walk in Wardrobe boutique in Western Road, Hove, into the city’s second micropub catering for “discerning, mature customers of all ages who are sensible about drinking”.

It had been planned to open the venue between 4pm and 11pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays, between 2pm and midnight Friday and Saturdays and 2pm to 11pm on Sundays.

The old-fashioned pub would create two full-time equivalent jobs and four part-time jobs while encouraging daytime and evening footfall and activity to the shopping area.

Added benefits the applicants claimed the pub will bring included improving the range of business in the shopping area and maintaining the appearance of the shop front.

Ms Conlan, a former probation officer, said it was unlikely that the micropub would cause significant noise and disturbance and as a resident and member of the residents’ association, she had an interest in improving the area.

She pointed to the opinion of addiction specialist Nick Tegardine who claimed micropubs in Nottingham were making a positive contribution to the problems of excessive drinking.

The Lansdowne Area and East Brunswick residents’ associations and ward councillors Ollie Sykes and Phelim MacCafferty objected to the proposals.

The licensing panel of councillors chaired by Jackie O’Quinn said that applications for new premises licences would be refused in the cumulative impact zone except in exceptional circumstances where an application proved it would have no negative cumulative impact.

The councillors said concerns expressed by objectors that the micropub will be another premises selling alcohol in “an already saturated area” were well founded.

They added: “We are concerned that another premises selling alcohol will add to issues of nuisance and noise transmission in what is a densely populated area and the type and construction of this regency building will be insufficient to contain noise.

"We have been unable to establish anything in the application that in our view constitutes exceptional circumstances.”