A Cullingworth club's controversial application for extended opening hours has been put on ice for another month. Cullingworth and District Conservative club will have to wait until April 15 to see if an extension to weekend opening hours will be granted.

Their application for a certificate allowing entertainment outside permitted licensing hours has met with opposition from residents living next to the club. More than 20 people in Station Road and and Ashdene Court have signed a petition, outlining fears that an extension would ruin their peace at night. In a letter to the director of corporate services, Pauline Clegg and Patricia Dorrington outlined the reasons for residents' opposition.

They say: "The extended hours - to midnight - would mean increased noise, especially in the summer when by necessity windows are open. The sound of revellers and car doors slamming, while tolerable before midnight, would then extend for even longer with the new proposal."

They add: "The residents and the conservative club have co-existed quite happily in the past, but the extended licensing hours could jeapordise this relationship in the future."

If the certificate of suitability was granted, the club on Station Road would be allowed recorded music and dancing between 7.00pm and midnight, on Friday and Saturday nights.

Residents also claim that the club will use the licence only as a means to keep the bar open until midnight.

Conservative club secretary Cllr John Brigg says: "What we said at a committee meeting in February was that we may or may not apply for a certificate to allow for extended licensing hours. That decision will be made at the AGM on April 22, and it will be up to the new committee to make it."

He adds: "We are of the opinion that we have had no problems in the past, so we don't see why that should change." If the certificate of suitability is granted, the club could then apply for a special hours certificate, allowing the sale of alcohol after the normal permitted hours.

At a meeting of the licensing sub-committee in Bradford, a decision was deferred until next month, to allow councillors time to weigh up the pros and cons of the application.

According to a spokesperson at Bradford council, the committee members will visit the club, before making a final decision at the next sub-committee meeting on April 15.

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