Blackheath barbers hoping to be a cut above the rest with new bar
The owner of a new bar opening in a 30-year-old Blackheath barber’s shop has applied for an alcohol licence.
A new micropub The Last Jar will be taking over most of the building that is currently home to The Barber Shop in Beet Street, Blackheath.
The licensing application asks for permission to sell alcohol between 11am and 11pm from Monday to Saturday and 11am to 10.30pm on Sunday.
The proposed opening hours for the bar are 11am to 11.30pm between Monday and Saturday and 11am to 11pm on Sunday.
A small barber’s shop, which has been open since 1991, will remain in the building.
In a separate planning application, owner Neil Clulow has also asked Sandwell Council to allow ‘low-level’ recorded music and ‘very occasional’ live music to be played at the new bar.
A statement included with the application said: “We believe that it is unreasonable to expect a town centre bar not to play amplified live or recorded music. This will be a town centre bar and all of the other pubs and bars in the town centre play music amplified, live and recorded.
“For 33 years this building has been a barber shop where recorded music is played all day long. The playing of music at the new micro bar will not have any detrimental effect on any of the neighbouring businesses or residents.
“The first-floor space above the proposed micro bar has been occupied as offices for over 20 years and the first floor is constructed from precast concrete planks that have excellent sound-deadening acoustic properties.”
A planning application to convert most of the ground floor of the barber shop into the new bar was approved by Sandwell Council in November last year. The work includes new ramps, a new entrance and partition walls.
