A NEW bar has escaped sweeping restrictions on its outdoor opening hours after presenting a 650-name petition from fans and regulars to Bradford Council.

A review of licensing conditions for the Potting Shed in Main Street, Bingley, was held at City Hall today after neighbours repeatedly complained about late night laughing, shouting and whistling.

Bradford Council's environmental health team began getting complaints about noisy customers talking and shouting in the pub's garden, which has individual garden sheds for drinks and meals and a large heated seating area beneath a seven metre by eight metre canopy.

Officers carried out tests in a flat in River Walk, in a curved building of flats behind the Potting Shed, and found decibel levels broke acceptable guidelines.

The Council's licensing enforcement officers suggested that the sale of alcohol in the beer garden should stop from 7.30pm daily, with the beer garden closing to customers from 8pm.

They were advising that the ground and first floor terraces be cleared of customers by 10pm.

The police, who have also had complaints about the noise, also agreed with this suggestion.

Licensing enforcement officer Mary McFadden told the licensing panel, chaired by Councillor Malcolm Slater, she had personally witnessed loud laughter and shouted conversations in the garden after 11pm on one of several fact-finding missions.

But she said she recognised that the Potting Shed was a high quality redevelopment of the old Fleece pub.

"This is a very nice place, highly polished and can only have a beneficial impact on the town centre,

"The local residents making the complaint are not asking for anything other than a reasonable solution," she said.

When questioned by licensing lawyer Paddy Whur on exactly how many current complainants there were, Mrs McFadden said there were only three, however one of them represented a number of distressed elderly people in River Walk.

Speaking for the Potting Shed, Mr Whur said investors has spent £450,000 on refurbishment and now provided 35 jobs.

He said noise from the garden was a manageable issue and this was not "ridiculously boisterous behaviour or people urinating or vomiting when leaving the premises."

The licensing committee decided to add the Potting Shed's own external management plan to the existing premises license so that its conditions could be enforced, but not to alter existing conditions other than staff to be on duty in the garden from 9.30pm and for an physical sale of alcohol in the garden to end by 8.30pm.

Speaking after the decision, Potting Shed manager Nick Merrick said: "It's all about working with local people and keeping a fine band of happiness.

"We want the business to succeed and we want to be respectful at the same time," he said.