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Manchester cinema gets 24-hour drinking licence

07/10/2005

Manchester's trendy Cornerhouse cinema is the first establishment in the city to be granted a 24-hour drinking licence, allowing it to serve drinks around the clock when alcohol laws are revised in November.

Despite local police contesting a string of applications for extended licences in the city centre, Manchester city council approved the Cornerhouse's request, albeit with conditions attached.

The cinema will be required to have registered bouncers on the doors after 4am, with drinks only being served to customers with a valid ticket for a film or event. Bosses will also have to give the council ten days' warning before they open for 24 hours.

However, the cinema believes the licence will not be fully utilised – at least for the first month.

"We applied for the licence because we could, but it is highly unlikely that there will be any nights that we will open for 24 hours," manager Shelley Brown told the Manchester Evening News.

"We may stay open until midnight to let people who see a late film have a drink afterwards but we will wait until the licence begins next month before making a decision."

A council spokesman told the newspaper the Cornerhouse had been granted permission to open 24 hours, as it was a "well-run" establishment and one of Manchester's "key cultural hubs".

"Its 24-hour licence is clearly linked to its function as a cinema and the many other events that are held there," said the spokesman.

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