Pub giant JD Wetherspoon have this week moved a step closer to opening up in Hamilton.
They have secured the green light to sell alcohol at the former Bairds building in the town centre.
At a special meeting of South Lanarkshire Licensing Division Hamilton Area meeting on Monday, JD Wetherspoon put forward proposals to sell alcohol on the premises.
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “We are pleased that the alcohol licence has been granted.
“This is another step in the right direction towards the opening of the Wetherspoon pub in Hamilton.”
The firm were given the go-ahead to sell alcohol at the bar/restaurant from 11am to 11.45pm from Monday to Thursday, and on a Sunday.
They were also granted permission to sell booze from 11am to 1am on a Friday and Saturday. Breakfast will also be on the menu as the new pub will open from 7am.
An application for an off-sales licence – which will operate Monday to Sunday from 11am to 10pm – was also accepted.
The premises will also operate additional hours for the sale of alcohol during the festive period in accordance with the South Lanarkshire Licensing Board (Hamilton Division) policy.
And the committee also heard how the new pub and restaurant will have the capacity to hold 881 people and there will be no music.
The application was granted on the condition that outdoor drinking is limited to 9pm.
Children will also be allowed into the pub, provided they are accompanied by an adult and they must vacate the premises by 10pm.
Hamilton South Councillor Josh Wilson, who was at the meeting on Monday, said: “JD Wetherspoon’s ambitious proposals include investment of around £3 million and the creation of a two-floor bar and restaurant.
“This alongside recent developments, including the Premier Inn and the Hilton coming to Hamilton, shows that progress on town centre regeneration is being made.”
Bairds has lain empty since closing in 2014 and plans to turn it into a pub have advanced after the council approved the sale of the building to JD Wetherspoon earlier this year, in February.
A fee of £750,000 was agreed of which £613,125 will be due to leasing company Maration Ltd.
South Lanarkshire Council will only receive £136,875 but will have a “pre-emption right” to buy back the property should JD Wetherspoon decide to sell during the development phase.
The £4million development could create up to 60 jobs – 30 in the construction phase along with 30 permanent positions once complete.
In June 2016, the Advertiser reported how the council launched ambitious plans to revitalise Hamilton town centre.
It stated that the unpopular parking charges could be changed, while Quarry Street may be opened up to traffic.
A public consultation, organised by Hamilton politicians Angela Crawley MP and Christina McKelvie MSP was also launched, after a special investigation by the Advertiser revealed there were 45 empty units in the heart of Hamilton.
The consultation received more than 800 responses, with many concerned about the empty large unit at Bairds.
