Cathedral Quarter: Popular pubs close early over safety concerns

The owner of some of Belfast’s busiest hospitality venues has announced plans to close his bars earlier.

The Duke of York’s Willie Jack, who, along with fellow directors of Commercial Inns Ltd also runs the Harp Bar and the Dark Horse, has said their venues will now shut by midnight, or earlier.

Changes to liquor licensing laws in Northern Ireland came into effect in 2021, meaning some pubs and nightclubs can apply to stay open until 03:00 BST up to 104 nights per year.

However, Mr Jack fears later opening hours could see the Cathedral Quarter become “the next Temple Bar” – Dublin’s busy nightlife area where criminal activity is on the rise.

“We want Belfast safer, we want the emergency services not [experiencing] the same pressure,” Mr Jack told BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback programme.

He said his “punters won’t mind” as he wants them to get home safely and avoid the “slips, trips and troubles” associated with later opening hours.

Staggered licensing time “will help the police and ambulance [service]”, he claimed.

The publican also said he wants to preserve the Cathedral Quarter’s “arts and culture-led” sense of community.

“I can remember the Temple Bar had a fishing shop and a community,” he said.

“We still have that in Hill Street… We still have creative people, I don’t want to ruin it.”

Also speaking to the programme, Damien Corr from Cathedral Quarter BID said the area is “one of the safest parts of the city”.

“I meet with senior police officers every single month and over the last couple of years those meetings have got shorter and shorter,” he said.

Mr Corr agreed it “is important that arts and culture stay to the forefront” of the Cathedral Quarter.

He added, as of next week, Belfast will have a ‘night czar’ – an appointed advocate for evening economy across the city.

Joel Neill from Hospitality Ulster said operators “have shown that they are responsive to consumer demand”.

“We have clearly seen a shift in demands in recent times towards consumers going out earlier in the day and home earlier in the night and operators are responding to this demand,” he said.

Mr Neill explained this is “partly caused by changes in consumer trends”, but is also influenced by a lack of taxis and buses in Belfast, “making it difficult for people to arrange alternative methods of returning home”.

“There are options in Belfast… if you want a late night venue, they are there.”