A DRINKS licence has been allowed for a student bar at the University of Cumbria campus in Ambleside – despite fears about anti-social behaviour.

The university applied to South Lakeland District Council to serve alcohol from Rigg Cottage on the Rydal Road campus all week between 7-10pm

The site attracted complaints in 2017-18 about ‘raucous students’ but the problem stopped following talks between the council, university and residents.

Chris Hodgson, who runs a B&B on Rydal Road, told the licensing committee in Kendal on Monday that he was concerned issues could flare up again.

He called for a guarantee that those in charge of supervising the halls of residence would not leave them unattended to monitor the bar, as they could not be in ‘two places at once’.

The student population across Ambleside numbers around 500 and Mr Hodgson said many places served alcohol between midnight and 2am with issues on Rydal Road ‘a weekly reality’.

He said: “We have had a very stable last 12 months and I think this all  achievable with a detailed resources plan.”

Marj Waddecar, secretary of the Greenbank and Castlefield Residents’ Association, said the group represented 158 nearby households.

She said: “We are not saying we object full stop but it has to be done with respect and consideration. We want to be assured that the students and bar area will be correctly and appropriately resourced.”

Emma Bales, the university’s deputy director of student and staff services, and John Powell, the commercial services manager, pledged a series of safeguards.

The bar was likely to be only open two nights a week – probably on Wednesdays and Fridays, they said. While the license application was for a full week and covered other events on-site, there would be no more than 10 a year with residents notified in advance.

In addition, security staff would be in place, noise monitoring and drug and alcohol policies, they said, promising to continue the ‘improvements made since 2017’.

Karen Partington, SLDC’s licensing officer and Peter Adams, an environmental protection officer, confirmed that good progress had been made.

Cllr Dave Khan, chairman of the three-member licensing committee, said it had given ‘in-depth consideration’ to the matter and agreed it could go ahead with conditions.