From the https://www.kentlive.news By Sean Doherty, 4 June 2018.

A new bar is opening in Folkestone but its owner has decided not to open late.

The bar is set to open this weekend.

Bar Bacchus in Church Street will become the town's newest drinks venue when it opens this Sunday (June 10).

Folkestone and Hythe District Council today (June 4) served up permission for the bar to serve alcohol, but only until 11pm on Friday and Saturday nights.

An application had previously been made for the bar to be licensed to serve until 1am during the weekend.

Owner Mark Macfarlane said he wants Bar Bacchus to be "the type of environment where people go for a nice, quiet drink."

But the planning department had objected to this on the basis it “would give rise to public nuisance caused by customer arrival and departure and noise generated from the premises”.

Owner Mark Macfarlane explained at a licensing sub-committee meeting that the application for late-night was only made to allow the possibility of staying open later should the bar become popular.

He also stated that he did not desire to take on the problems that opening later might attract.

He said: “To be quite honest, I think at this point I’m a bit of a target and the finger could be pointed at me regarding anti-social behaviour that’s occurred from so many other places.

“I want to take the bullseye off of myself and just go with these hours.

“There are certain parties that want me to push this to an extent so that we can make businesses open a lot later but I don’t want to be a test case for it.”

He added: “I want to work with the neighbours, all neighbours, in the future and adapt the business to fit in with the environment that it is located in.”

Mr Macfarlane said that while he would employ door staff if required, he would be aiming for a clientele that would make them unnecessary.

The bar is set to open on Sunday.

He added: “Within Church Street you have The Pullman that has never had door staff because of the types of clientele he has attracted.

"I’m aiming for a late 30s up to 60s age range and I’m not interested in the lower age group clientele.

“I want to keep in the spirits of what The Pullman has and what The Radnor Arms has now, that type of clientele.”

A place for a 'nice, quiet drink'.

The licence granted to the bar means that only background-level music can be played inside the premises.

Mr Macfarlane said: “I’m sticking quite rigidly to the more jazz, Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble-type music - it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but it will fill the bar while not conducting lots of energy upstairs.

“I don’t want anything with any kind of beat in it really.

“I want it to be the type of environment where people go for a nice, quiet drink with some background music.”

In response to a claim raised during the meeting that the bar had already begun selling alcohol, Mr Mcfarlane explained he had recently hosted his 40th birthday party there and provided free alcohol to guests he had invited.

Cllr Dick Pascoe said: “I think Mr McFarlane has been extremely generous and I think we should accept these comments and I will pass on to the people who have been commenting to me that my feelings are that we have come to an amicable solution.”

Cllr Russell Tillson said: “The sub-committee has been most impressed with the intent as stated today by Mr McFarlane.

“It seems to us that he is planning to make every effort to ensure the licensing objectives are met, he has clearly liaised with neighbours, he has a clear vision of the sort of establishment he wants to run and the sort of people he wants there.”