A POOLE restaurant’s plans to extend the hours it can serve alcohol to customers in its outside area have been met with opposition from residents.

Banana Wharf, which is situated on the first floor of the Dolphin Quays building on Poole Quay, currently stops serving alcohol outdoors at 10.30pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

However, it wants to amend its premises licence to allow drinking to continue until 11.30pm on those days.

Residents of the Dolphin Quays block have objected to the proposals over noise concerns.

Their worries have been echoed by Poole Town councillor Mark Howell who fears a precedent will be set in the area if Poole council allows the hours to be extended.

“I object to the extension of hours of the outside area because it will inevitably cause nuisance to people occupying apartments in Dolphin Quays and will set a precedent for other licensed premises in the Old Town that are located adjacent to residential properties,” he wrote in a letter to the council’s licensing team.

Dolphin Quays resident Anne van Brussel said the “obvious increased noise that comes with late hours would be intolerable”.

Banana Wharf says extending the hours customers can drink in the outside area will “allow for a more staggered clearing of customers and furniture, reducing noise level consultations”.

In its Outside Area Noise Management Plan, the restaurant states its current “cut off time of 10.30pm for the outside area means there is a concentration of activity at that time of night”.

“We believe that enabling the consumption of alcohol and late-night refreshment in the outside area after 10.30pm on the three days a week requested will create a better ambience and flow to customer movement. This will potentially reduce noise as our customers will be engaged in enjoying food and/or drink,” the restaurant adds.