A LLANDUDNO nightclub wants to scrap employing bouncers five days out of seven.
Club 147 has applied to Conwy County Council’s licensing department, seeking permission to remove several conditions from its premises licence.
The nightclub on upper Mostyn Street currently must employ SIA registered door supervisors if the bar remains open beyond 11:30pm, with security starting from 10pm until closure. One door supervisor must be female whenever possible.
But the club now wants this revised, with the premises instead employing SIA licensed security on Friday and Saturday nights only from 10pm until closure.
On other nights, if the new conditions are granted, ‘the premises will review and risk asses the need for licensed security’ on a given occasion.
A spokesman for Club 147 commented: “Currently, the club is not permitted to open past 11:30 pm during the week without licensed door security in place from 10:00 pm onwards. This restriction, while understandable in certain contexts, can be quite limiting and costly for us during quieter evenings.
“We’re proposing to remove this requirement to allow us greater flexibility in how we operate. Times are incredibly challenging for the hospitality industry at the moment, and unfortunately, we’ve received little to no support from the Welsh Labour government. We’re doing everything we can to keep our doors open and continue serving our community, but managing costs effectively is crucial for us to survive.”
He added: “To be clear, we would absolutely hire door security whenever we deem it necessary—for example, during busy periods or when hosting events that require additional oversight. However, on quieter nights, it doesn’t make sense to hire door staff if we’re only hosting 10-15 customers and there’s no evident risk. In those situations, requiring security would not be cost-effective and would add unnecessary financial strain.
“Our aim is to remain proactive and responsible while ensuring we can still operate sustainably. We are confident that by conducting regular risk assessments and adapting to the specific needs of each evening, we can maintain a safe environment for our patrons and staff without imposing undue costs.”
The club has also applied to remove the ‘terminal hour of entry to the premises’ of 2am Monday to Sunday as well as removing several conditions relating to CCTV being visible to bar staff.
Currently it is stipulated that bar staff must be able to view interior trading areas and other areas, but the club say ‘this potentially distracts the serving staff from their duty to ensure they are serving alcohol responsibly and is a duplication’ of another condition.
The full licensing application can be viewed here: https://publicnoticeportal.uk/notice/alcohol-and-licensing/674edfe42442907c7046f08a
The licensing application is currently going through a 28-day public consultation, which started on December 4.
Anyone wishing to make representations to this application may do so by writing to the Head of Licensing Services, PO Box 1, CONWY, LL30 9GN.
