A STRATTON pub has been granted longer opening hours in the face of opposition from residents after the proposed time periods were reduced.

The Wheatsheaf, in Ermin Street, has been granted an extra half an hour to its licensed hours at the weekends, meaning it can supply alcohol until midnight on Friday and Saturday and 11pm on Sunday.

Live music has also been granted until 11pm between Monday and Thursday, 11.30pm on Friday and Saturday and 10.30pm on Sunday.

Opposing the move, neighbour Mike Pickett told the council’s licensing panel yesterday: “It’s a residential area. There’s already been problems and now all you are going to do is move it an hour or an hour and a half to the right. We don’t want to fall out with the landlord any more than with the previous landlord, but it’s just the noise.”

Landlady Adele Hunt, who took over with husband Paul on July 19, told the meeting the pub was community focused, had acted stop rowdy behaviour and wanted to compete with other licensed premises open to midnight or 1am.

She said: “We are a family, we live in the pub, our youngest son goes to school and I am working in the week, the noise affects me as much as it does other residents.

“The complaints that we don’t care for the community and don’t want to integrate ourselves into it, couldn’t be further from the truth.”

The panel approved the application, which included conditions the pub restricted noise.