A KEIGHLEY microbrewery has been granted a licence to open a taproom in the town centre.

Wishbone Brewery announced its plans to open a new bar, in a former children’s clothing shop in Low Street, earlier this year.

Now Bradford Council has granted the business a licence, after hearing that the bar would “bring something new” to Keighley.

The bar will be in the former Kids Connection store, near Keighley Market.

The application went before the Bradford District Licensing Panel, whose members were told that there had been an objection to the plans.

Ibin and Aneesh Paul, the new landlords of neighbouring 62-64 Low Street, said they planned to open a 24/7 health care business in their unit and that staff had raised concerns about working next to a bar.

They also said they planned to turn the upper floors of their building into flats, and claimed the bar could cause issues for potential future tenants.

The objectors did not attend the meeting.

Adrian Chapman, from Wishbone Brewery, told the panel that the brewery had regular open events at its base in Chesham Street and never had any trouble.

He said: “It will be a modern style of bar that will attract more cultured drinkers, who are drinking more for flavour.”

He said the beers produced by the brewery are not sold in supermarkets or chains like Wetherspoon's, but in craft beer bars.

Mr Chapman added: “The Low Street bar will reflect the ethos of how we run the brewery.

“There will always be drinkers who drink for the sake of alcohol, but modern bars have a range of flavours and types of beer. For a lot of people, they don’t want to drink for the alcohol, but to experience interesting drinks.

“At the moment Keighley doesn’t really have a bar that serves these people.”

Mr Chapman told panel members he hoped the bar would encourage other similar businesses to open in the town centre.

He referred to The Sparrow in Bradford – a bar that opened in North Parade in the city centre a decade ago and led to a surge in new craft beer bars in that area.

He told the panel: “We want to bring something new to Keighley. We hope it will play a part in making the town somewhere where people want to visit and come back to.”

The panel voted to approve the licence.