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Anti-social behaviour, including people having sex and urinating in public, would increase in the centre of Ware if the old Town Hall is converted to a wine bar, the town council heard.

Residents pleaded with the council to oppose plans that would see the building become an “up-market wine shop and bar” at a meeting on Monday (29 January).

A change of use application to convert Grade II-listed Rankin House on West Street following the departure of the Clifford Burr bridal shop has been submitted to East Herts District Council.

However, town councillors resolved to oppose the plans, after voicing concerns about the size of the premises and the potential for late-night noise.

One resident — who lives nearby the building — told the council about her experience with anti-social behaviour caused by customers at existing venues in the area, including Jacoby’s, The Lodge and Punch House.

She said: “In the graveyard I’ve seen people having sex, we’ve had people weeing in our doorway, we’ve seen ladies in the alleyway opposite squat weeing, falling over and rolling in their wee — and that’s just with the current bars that are there.

“If more are introduced, especially an establishment so big that could cater for so many more customers, we are really concerned that that will adversely impact what is happening outside.”

The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Mercury that she estimated around 30 nearby flats — many of which were listed and therefore had limited scope for sound-proofing — and 60 residents could be impacted by the plans.

Problems in the graveyard have been ongoing for years, she said and the potential for worse behaviour as a result of the wine bar ”is just not even worth thinking about”.

She also claimed the applicants were being “intentionally underhanded” by applying for a change of use before outlining their full plans, fearing it could even morph into a nightclub.

Councillors echoed residents’ concerns and made reference to problems the town had when there was a nightclub in Amwell End, which often required the presence of “most of the available police force”.

Councillor Stephen Reed — who is also a district councillor — said he feared a new wine bar could potentially attract people from Enfield.

He said: “Ware had a lot of problems with the nightclub down in Amwell End when it was Becketts.

“The capacity of Rankin House is huge — if that’s going to be a wine bar, the amount of people in there, coming out at 1am in the morning, is just going to draw people from Enfield, all over, coming into Ware. You’re opening a can of worms.”

Councillors broadly agreed that the police force no longer had the capacity to deal with anti-social behaviour while district councillor Mark Pope said he was concerned customers would spill out onto Tudor Square.

He explained: “(East Herts’) licensing policy makes it very clear that there is a desire to create family friendly areas within our town centres.

“The starting point is to seek a reduction in crime and disorder and discourage alcohol-led premises.

“I would be very, very concerned were the facility to spill out, as others in the immediate areas have, not only into their own frontage but also onto Tudor Square or the entrance to Tudor Square.

“We’ve already heard mention of The Lodge which we know spills out illegally onto the cut through to Tudor Square.

“There’s three floors (in Rankin House), 1,000 square feet plus per floor. This is a huge premises.

“I’d be concerned as to what is happening elsewhere in the premises because it’s one hell of a wine bar, more than 3,000, 4,000 square feet.”

Councillor Phyllis Ballam, acting chairwoman, cemented the council’s opposition, saying: “I think it’s quite obvious that the point we want to make to East Herts is that we do not consider this a suitable use for this building because of the impact on local residents who are very close and already having problems.

“This is a very large building. It would certainly appear to be more suitable to conversion into something like offices or to residential use.”

The applicants have been approached for comment.