A SNOOKER club has been denied permission to open until 3am following fierce opposition from residents and council officers.

The Hurricane Room, in Hale End Road, Highams Park, was given permission in 2007 on a temporary basis provided it did not use an entrance in Beech Hall Road after 10pm.

But officers found the entrance in Beech Hall Road was still being used into the early hours of the morning and changed their initial recommendation from granting permission to denying it.

Speaking at last night's planning meeting, Kevin Herring, a development management officer, said: “We've done a lot of monitoring with the noise team and licensing and planning officers.

“It's pretty clear the entrance in Beech Hall Road is effectively the only door being used.”

Residents of Beech Hall Road said they could often hear revellers into the night and said it was causing noise and anti-social behaviour.

The planning inspectorate made the initial restriction on which entrances should be used and when.

Another entrance in Hale End Road was intended for use after 10pm but council officers said it was clear this door was not being used as a large amount of rubbish was piled in front of it.

And Cllr Alan Siggers spoke at the meeting to praise officers for their efforts to find out how bad the problem was.

He said: “They've really gone the extra mile. They deserve to have that amount of work noted and congratulated.”