AN Ilkley bar and restaurant will be allowed to serve alcohol until 2am after Councillors agreed to extend its licence.

The Bradford District Licensing Panel approved the application by Banyan on Brook Street, at a meeting in City Hall yesterday.

The bar currently has a licence to serve alcohol until 1am on Thursday to Sunday, and close by 1.30am. Its application looked to alter that, so it could see alcohol until 2am and close at 2.30am on Friday and Saturday.

Two people had objected to the application, claiming Ilkley was being plagued by anti-social behaviour and noise early in the morning due to the number of bars staying open late.

One even suggested Bradford Council add an extra levy to business rates for such late night businesses to pay for extra street cleaning.

Representatives for the company told Councillors that the objections related to wider issues in Ilkley, rather than problems caused by Banyan, which opened in November 2017.

They also pointed out a nearby venue was open until 3.30am.

Members were told that roughly 50 per cent of the bar's income was through food.

The panel approved the licence.

Chair of the panel Councillor Malcolm Slater said if any member of the public thought any of the licensing conditions were not being met, they could call for a review of the licence.