A new hospitality venue has been given the official go-ahead to stay open permanently as owners hope to “bring something different” to the village.
Icons on Bury New Road in Prestwich celebrated its grand opening last week after being granted a temporary licence to serve alcohol.
The new bar and venue, which moved from a previous location in Whitefield earlier this year, will host singers, bands tributes acts and more, after being granted a full licence by the council this week.
Icons replaced the former Rileys Snooker Bar which had fallen into disrepair after owners decided the venue needed a bigger premises.
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At a council licensing hearing committee meeting, owners Philip Wheeldon, Peter Strong and Roberto Polacco say they want the bar to appeal to an older crowd.
Mr Wheeldon said: “We’re trying to bring something different to Prestwich, when we took it was derelict and we’ve pay £600,000 to do it up.”
Mr Strong added that they plan to work with other bars in the village for community good and to reduce noise and the potential for antisocial behaviour.
He said: “I’m Prestwich born and bred, and we’ll be working with other bars in the area and we’re looking at doing work for charity.
“I gave the licensing team and police a guided tour, they saw it before when it was dilapidated and they can’t believe the change in the building.
“We’re going for the older clientele, I’ve ploughed everything I’ve got into it, I'm really passionate about this building.”
The owners added that they had taken into consideration concerns from residents regarding noise and say they will work to ensure noise is kept to a minimum, by closing windows and doors and reducing volume where possible.
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They added that they have employed experienced door staff who will encourage patrons to move along after leaving the premises.
The sub-committee agreed to grant the application after it was satisfied that the terms of the licence would be adhered to, as well as the owners’ commitment to reducing noise.
However, committee chair Cllr Gavin McGill added that such applications can be reviewed at a later date if issues arise.
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