Council approve Da Vinci’s licence after objection

The new Derry and Strabane council has renewed an entertainments licence for a prominent local bar and hotel complex after an objection was lodged against the move.

Da Vinci’s had applied for a renewal of an entertainments licence of its premises at 15, Culmore Road, which was advertised in the local press via a public notice.

The matter had been brought before a meeting of the Derry City and Strabane District Council last month when it was revealed that the council’s Licensing Officer had received an objection to the renewal via email.

At that meeting, the objector, Stephen Wade was present, as was the solicitor Thomas Doherty, on behalf of the applicant, the Garvan O’Doherty Group.

However, the matter was deferred after Mr Doherty said additional information had been made available to the council that had not been seen by his client, and therefore sought an adjournment.

When the matter came back before the Council’s Health and Community elected members heard from both the objectors and Mr Doherty.

Both Mr Wade and Colm McKenna outlined their objections as to why a renewal should not be issued for the licence.

However, Mr Doherty countered that they were not grounds for the council to refuse the renewal.

He added that since 1985, the Garvan O’Doherty Group had applied for 160 licences across 14 premises.

Mr Doherty revealed 157 of those had been approved, while three were pending.

The meeting was also told that the PSNI had no objections to the renewal being granted.

Independent councillor Paul Gallagher proposed that council approve the renewal, which was seconded by the DUP’s Hilary McClintock.

Sinn Fein councillor Eric McGinley said that council had to make an ‘objective’ decision, and gave his backing to the approval.