A NIGHTCLUB in Winchester will be staying open until 4am after an application to extend its hours was approved. 

Vodka's request to remain open and serve alcohol until as late as 4am, the latest in the city, was given the green light by Winchester City Council's Licencing Sub-Committee on Monday, October 17.

The Upper Brook Street club, which is a mecca for students, will now be able to welcome partygoers until 3am Monday to Wednesday, and 4am Thursday to Saturday.

Co-owners Kalvin Collymore and Lee Davies, who moved to the city in 2005, recently splashed out £130,000 on a refurbishment to upgrade its toilets, welfare facilities, layout, and soundproofing.

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They say the package presented to civic chiefs includes measures such as the city's first ID scanner, further CCTV, a trained welfare officer, and increased security patrols of the surrounding area which will make Vodka the "gold standard" for safety in Winchester.

Speaking at the meeting, Rich Sims, who is a consultant for the club, said the 700-capacity venue is going "way beyond" what is expected by putting in extra layers of protection.

However, the application attracted 12 objections from nearby residents, some of who made a representation in person.

Sorrell Collins, of Upper Brook Street, said: "Unfortunately, I have become quite ill because of my sleep deprivation due to regular noise during the week, and it does seem to be on the nights that Vodka Bar is open."

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Ms Collins said drunk people often loiter in the early hours, leading to frequent anti-social behaviour and criminal damage. 

Emily Horne, also of Upper Brook Street, described the area as a "magnet" for shouting and screaming at all hours. She said she had "lost count" of the number of times she had been woken by drunken revellers.

On granting the application, licensing chiefs imposed several additional conditions to help mitigate locals' fears.

The club will be required to set up a hotline which residents can call to issue complaints. Such complaints will also have to be kept in a detailed log which can be accessed by members of the public. 

A community liaison meeting is to be held annually, while security staff have also been asked to extend promised patrols of the surrounding area to 30 minutes after the nightclub shuts. 

Two members of the door team will walk the vicinity of the city centre, Upper Brook Street and the streets that have a junction with Upper Brook Street, and St Peter’s Car Park to assist with safe dispersal.

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An additional CCTV camera was further requested to monitor behaviour 30-minutes before opening, while the club is open, and 30-minutes after it closes.

Concluding, the committee said: "We have listened carefully to the local residents and looked closely at the problems they were having. The Sub-Committee are of the firm view that the incidents detailed by local residents had occurred. However, there were no clear links attributing these incidents to Vodka Bar and Nightclub as there were a number of venues closing in the city at a similar time."