A NIGHTCLUB has been granted a licence to serve drinks until 2am, despite outcry from residents.

One Leisure’s bid to extend its licence for Jimmy Allens, on Durham’s Elvet Bridge, was approved by Durham County Council on Tuesday.

Neighbours, community groups and Durham University had spoken out against the scheme, but their objections were ruled invalid.

The only objection deemed "relevant" came from Durham Police, which withdrew its opposition after talks led to One Leisure dropping plans to keep the club open until 4am.

Afterwards, Jackie Levitas, who has lived in Durham’s Viaduct area for 33 years, said: "I’m surprised that such a decision could be taken on a technicality.

"A decision like this should consider the needs of the area as a whole.

"If you keep granting single licences and don’t see it as a whole, you could end up with a Las Vegas-style casino strip on North Road.

"We’re worried about what’s happening to North Road. It’s becoming an unpleasant place to walk through at any time and this just makes it worse."

One Leisure previously said it wanted to extend hours at Jimmy Allens to remain competitive and police advice had allowed it to strike a balance between the welfare of residents and sustaining the late-night economy.

Operations director Stuart Bowes said measures to cut noise escaping from the club meant sound pollution had fallen to an all-time low and Jimmy Allens was at the forefront of a new police initiative to introducing a minimum alcohol pricing policy to Durham City.

The application was granted by Durham County Council’s statutory licensing sub-committee meeting in Crook civic centre.

Councillor Linda Marshall, who chaired the meeting, said she was happy to grant the variation requested because the police had given their support and there were no objections.