CONTROVERSIAL plans to let a city centre rock bar open in to the early hours have been given the go-ahead.

Certificate 18, in Gillygate, applied to City of York Council for permission to stay open until 2am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and until midnight from Sunday to Wednesday.

It also wanted an additional ten minute drinking up time.

Councillors passed the new license at a meeting of the licensing committee in the Guildhall yesterday with an extensive list of conditions.

Local residents had written more than 20 letters of objection claiming the late opening would increase noise and drunken behaviour.

A resident from nearby Portland Street, said revellers would be drawn from "party central" at 11pm, creating "a tide of human waste washing down Gillygate".

But bar manager David Jones said the extension would not mean bands playing loud music until 2am.

He claimed the venue had dealt with concerns voiced by locals and never had an official complaint regarding noise or nuisance behaviour.

Furthermore, he said extra sound proofing had been installed along with signs warning punters to be considerate to residents by leaving quietly.

He said that if the extension had not been granted Gillygate, being a main arterial road with numerous food restaurants, was still unlikely to be an "oasis of serenity after 11pm."

Mr Jones said: "We're delighted and there are a lot of our regulars and people who come in here who will be too - this will make hundreds of people happy. We appreciate that local residents might not all be in favour of this, but we can only do our best to make sure the noise is kept to a minimum so that everybody is happy."

Nearby residents had also claimed the pub had done little for the community.

But Mr Jones said the venue regularly held charity events and would continue to do so raising money for York Hospital's Baby Care Unit, Tsunami relief funds and a Make Poverty History event this week in conjunction with Oxfam.

Meanwhile, the Golden Slipper in Goodramgate, The Maltings in Tanner's Moat and Victor Js in Finkle Street have also submitted extended hours applications.

Updated: 10:56 Tuesday, June 28, 2005