The Crown Hotel on Main Street, Boston Spa, has been empty for years, but a meeting is set to take place next week to decide whether to allow applicant Further Afield Pubs Ltd to operate the site as a pub once again.

The application seeks to serve alcohol from 10am-11pm on Mondays to Thursdays; 10am-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays; and 11am-11pm on Sundays.

The original application had requested to serve alcohol until midnight on Mondays to Thursdays, and until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays – attracting numerous complaints from locals.

A letter co-signed by Wetherby ward councillors Alan Lamb and Norma Harrington stated: “While we welcome the re-opening of The Crown, we do have reservations about the extended hours which are not in keeping with other businesses in Boston Spa and so would like to object on the following grounds.

“There is an increased risk of public nuisance due to patrons leaving late at night which could also result in crime and disorder.”

The application also attracted numerous letters from members of the public expressing similar concerns around the lateness of the licence and the potential for public nuisance, littering and noise.

The applicants have since confirmed an amendment to the proposed times.

West Yorkshire Police also claimed not enough information was included in the original application about how crime and disorder would be minimised. It went on to suggest further measures relating to closed circuit television and incident reporting.

Another letter from Leeds City Council’s environmental protection team claims not enough information had been included on what measures would be put in place to prevent public nuisance.

A planning application was put into Leeds City Council in late 2017 to convert the pub into a branch of the Co-op.

However, Leeds City Council refused the plans on the grounds of lack of space for deliveries and customer parking in February 2018.

Leeds City Council’s licensing sub-committee will meet to discuss the application on Tuesday, August 18.

Plans to resurrect former Boston Spa pub