A BID to allow an iconic Hereford venue to serve alcohol 24 hours a day has been branded "thoughtless" by a licensing expert.

Fred Spriggs, licensing officer for Herefordshire Council, made the remarks during a meeting to discuss granting a premises licence to the Left Bank, on Bridge Street, which has been closed since 2010.

He objected to the bid which was later approved by the council's Regulatory Sub-Committee after applicant Gary Waring reduced alcohol sales to 3am.

"We have looked at this in detail," Mr Spriggs told the committee.

"The application has been made without a lot of thought.

"It is a case of applying for everything 24 hours a day."

He said when considering granted a licence, the committee must be aware of the "avoidance of public nuisance".

The licence allows Mr Waring, who owns Lyde Court, to stage live and recorded music inside the venue until 3am each day. Outdoor live and recorded music must end by midnight.

But Heath Thomas, who represented Mr Waring, said the public nuisance element should not come into it.

"You have no evidence before you of any crime or disorder when the Left Bank owners operated to 1.30am under the old licence," he told the committee.

He called the Left Bank "one of Hereford's most premier venues", adding it attracts international businesses including Heineken which has said it wants to use the Left Bank for team building events and functions.

Mr Thomas also hinted at the prospect of a pop-up restaurant there featuring top chefs.

"It is clear that they (the applicants) have looked at all the policies," he said.

"They will risk assess all their functions.

"Not one comment has been received against this from a member of the public. Mr Waring has only had positive comments."

As well as the alcohol and music restrictions, the applicant also agreed to a number of conditions including an incident log being kept on site and no noise coming from the premises which may "cause a nuisance".

Speaking after the committee granted permission, Mr Thomas said he was happy for this client.

"I'm delighted and pleased the committee listened to how we intend to meet the licensing objectives.

"It gives the Left Bank a good footing from which to start."

The venue is expected to re-open in November.