A recently renovated pub has been allowed to extend its opening hours - despite neighbours’ fears over fighting and drug-taking in the street outside.

The Park Inn Hotel in Folkestone was taken over by Chris Brown earlier this year following its closure at the end of 2021.

But a request to Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) to open later resulted in letters of objection from residents unhappy with anti-social behaviour taking place outside the venue.

One neighbour claimed they had seen people “doing balloons and cocaine on our front wall”.

Another concerned resident said there is “always a row or a fight” and “prolific drug-taking” outside the pub in Radnor Park Road.

However, Mr Brown says others have praised the changes made at the pub since he took over.

And this week, the application for a licensing change was approved at a meeting of FHDC’s licensing sub-committee.

The pub can now open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and serve alcohol until 11.30pm on those days - an extension of 30 minutes.

Prior to the meeting, the authority received six letters of objection from residents living nearby.

Gloria Rowe and James Palin wrote: “This is not just a problem of people loudly leaving the pub (although this is a huge issue) this is the parameters of the pub extending out into a residential street.

“There is also a lot of anti-social behaviour from patrons of the pub, including fighting and drug taking.

“The police have been called on more than one occasion.

“I have seen and heard people doing balloons and cocaine on our front wall, which is completely unacceptable.

“All of these issues will only be exacerbated by extending opening and licensing hours.”

Other residents attended the meeting to express their concerns.

Kerry Langford told the committee: “I can only say the problem comes when people are coming out.

“Fridays and Saturdays in particular there is always, and I mean literally always, a row or a fight, and also prolific drug-taking, along the road, literally outside our house, sitting on our walls around the back of the pub.”

Shaun Tottman - another local resident - said: “They’re certainly opening up packets - they’re doing lots of cannisters as well so there’s a lot of the balloons being inflated and then taking that stuff down.

“And they just leave all the rubbish and the balloons and cannisters lying around on the street.”

Mr Brown defended the changes made to the pub since he took it over.

He said: “When we took it over it was thought of as a bit of a rough pub, people didn’t want to go in there.

'Fridays and Saturdays in particular there is always, and I mean literally always, a row or a fight...'

“Loads of the residents come in and say how nice it is now and love the atmosphere, that’s what we’re trying to promote.”

Residents also said they had called the police on anti-social customers leaving the Park Inn and causing trouble in the area.

Mr Tottman added: “I know that other residents have contacted the police; sometimes they turn up, sometimes they don’t.”

Mr Brown emphasised that the pub has barred disruptive customers, and that the Park Inn is a member of the local Pub Watch scheme.

He said: “We can’t just say to people ‘you seem a little bit funny, you’re banned forever’.

“It sounds to me more like you’re being let down a bit by the police, as we have before; we’ve called them and they’ve not turned up.

“If criminal activity is happening outside and the police turn up and we’re told who it is we’ll ban them 100% - we don’t want people doing that.”

“We’re still getting to know some of our clientele.”

Mr Brown argued that the pub does everything it can to stop anti-social behaviour on the premises but that “it feels like there’s stuff that’s going on off-site which is trying to affect what we’re trying to do inside, which isn’t relevant [to the licensing application]”.

Cllr David Wimble (Ind) said there’s only so much a pub can do to control the behaviour of punters.

He said: “You’re not going to change the culture of the people in Folkestone where they go from pub to pub; they’ve done it for years and even if the licence didn’t change the problem would be the same regardless.

“I’m not sure what more as a licensing committee we can do, because you’re not encouraging it; it’s not like you’re dealing these [drugs].”

The pub’s general manager, Emily Miller-Hastings, also attended the meeting to put forward their case.

She argued that extending the hours the pub can sell alcohol until after the end of live music means that many customers will leave as soon as the performance ends, and slow the trickle of revellers into neighbouring streets.

“We believe that extending the hours will allow a slower dispersion of the crowds and then that’ll reduce the noise issues that we’re currently having”, she said.

'You’re not going to change the culture of the people in Folkestone where they go from pub to pub, they’ve done it for years'

She also explained that the pub will shut the back door at 10pm and only allow smoking out front to minimise disruption to neighbours.

Cllr Jim Martin (Green) asked Mr Brown: “Is this going to become a kind of late-night haunt?”

Mr Brown assured the committee otherwise.

“We’re one of the earliest shutting pubs in town at the moment anyway," he said.

“But I’d suggest that after 11pm when the music has stopped the people that are just wanting to go out on a mad drinking escapade wouldn’t want to sit in a quiet pub anyway

“It’s not that we’re trying to keep rocking till 12, rock the house down and make it a crazy night out for everyone - that’s not what we’re trying to do at all."

The pub applied to be allowed to serve alcohol until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, but was granted the right to do so until 11.30pm.

The committee agreed that the Park Inn Hotel’s plans would make patrons leave gradually and therefore reduce disturbance to neighbours.

The committee rejected part of the application to play recorded music until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, but the pub can still play background music, which isn’t a licensed activity.

The pub will be allowed to host live music until 11pm most nights of the week except Sunday, when performances must end by 10.30pm.