A NIGHTCLUB planned for Winnington came a step closer this week when a judge granted developers a provisional drinks licence.

Cheers rang round Knutsford Crown Court as Steve Bell and his associates Valda Bostock and Geoffrey Bell won their appeal to serve drinks at the former ICI building, off Winnington Lane.

Northwich magistrates refused to grant them a licence last year.

Mr Bell said: "We've got a long way to go, but this is the start we were looking for.

"It's the beginning of the dream."

During the hearing, Mr Bell's team set out plans for Mr B's Chemical Factory - named in honour of John Brunner - which will be created, should borough planners give it the green light.

They said Mr B's would provide space for 600 revellers in two main rooms - a dance music hall and a jazz lounge. They added that minibuses and taxis would carry visitors to and from the site, stopping visitors from walking the streets.

But Northwich police bitterly opposed the plans, saying their overstretched resources couldn't handle the public order problems the club would create. Superintendent Ian Johns told the court: "Our problem is that any club of this size will generate a problem, in terms of criminal damage, drink-driving, and drugs."

Barrister David Pickup, representing the Mr B's team, said that Northwich was "crying out" for this kind of venue.

He added: "There is a tangible need for this development.

"At the moment, Northwich people seeking a night out in a club are paying an extra £40 in bus or taxi fares to go to other towns."

Other witnesses for the Mr B's team showed how the team was using a reputable security firm to ensure that they could co-operate fully with the police.

Judge John Rogers said: "I am faced with a kind of balancing act. On the one side are the concerns of the police. On the other is what seems to be a need for variety in the town of Northwich."

Afterwards, Supt Johns told the Guardian: "We will work with them, despite our objections. But we should be clear: the cost of having this club will, at peak times, be detrimental to the policing of other parts of the community."

Mr Bell told us the project had been held back. "We have waited a long time," he said.

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