A new sober bar is opening in Bristol serving up alcohol-free drinks and ‘inclusive safe space’

A new sober bar is opening in the city centre serving up alcohol-free drinks and providing an “inclusive safe space”. Arc, on Broad Street, was granted a premises licence by Bristol City Council despite not actually selling any alcohol.

The bar’s menu includes alcohol-free beers from local brewery Wiper and True, kombuchas, iced teas and CBD sodas. The licence allows the bar to stay open until 11pm every night, with live music permitted four nights a week.

Running the bar is Francisco Serrano Garcia, who previously ran a nightclub in Madrid for three years. He told councillors at a licensing hearing on Thursday, October 9, that Arc aims to provide a space for people who don’t want to drink, but still want to enjoy Bristol’s nightlife.

He said: “There’s evidence that younger generations are less into alcohol. We want to build a community premises, and we have intentions to work with the Bristol Drugs Project and Bristol Sober Spaces to support what they do city-wide. We understand the importance and inheritance of electronic music and club culture in Bristol, and we’re trying to keep this alive in another way.”

Across the country an increasing number of people are either going teetotal or drinking less alcohol, as awareness grows of the harms to health such as the link with cancer. Many pubs are now serving more varieties of alcohol-free beers, but options are still often limited. Being around drunk people can also be difficult for someone who is recovering from alcoholism.

There used to be a bar called Arc in the same spot, which shut down 12 years ago. Council enforcement officers found several safety problems, which reportedly included emergency exits being locked shut. Councillors revoked the premises licence in 2013, so the bar closed down.

Back then, Arc was run by Eddie Clarke, who is also involved in the new version of the bar as the leaseholder. Councillors were told he won’t be involved in managing the bar, but this still sparked concerns from the council’s neighbourhood enforcement team and neighbours too.

Next to Arc is an AirBnB, owned by Jaya Chakrabarti and her husband. She complained that the bar would create noise in the evening, which her tenants would be able to hear through a party wall. She told councillors that she was concerned the bar reopening might affect her ratings.

She said: “Bristol’s nightlife and creativity are world-class and we’re proud of that and we’re not opposed to sober culture or new community venues. But you can literally hear sound travelling through into our guest bedrooms. All we’re asking for is that there is physical soundproofing in the building so that the venue can thrive without harming us.”

Part of the licence includes conditions that the bar must carry out a noise assessment, to see how loud music might affect their neighbours. “Mitigation measures” could also be installed, however it’s unclear what these might be. Noise limiters are already planned, to stop DJs playing music too loudly.

Conservative Councillor Richard Eddy, chairing the hearing, said: “Hopefully this is a new episode and we wish you success within your licensing conditions. But we understand your neighbour’s concerns and we hope and expect your open and maintained close dialogue with her to address those issues.”

The reason the bar needed to get a premises licence, despite not selling any alcohol, is because venues still need to get permission from the council to show films and play music, including both live and recorded music. The licence does not allow the bar to serve alcoholic drinks.

Premises licences are used by councils to make sure bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants, and other similar venues, are following rules and being run properly. Venues must show they are following the four licensing objectives: preventing crime and disorder, keeping the public safe, preventing public nuisance, and protecting children from harm.

According to the police, there is a clear link between people drinking alcohol and committing crimes, with Friday and Saturday nights often the busiest time for police officers. That’s why there is a focus on ensuring venues are following the rules, given the dangers of alcohol.

But there are few sober bars across the country, where the clientele will likely be much less rowdy. Nonetheless, the same rules apply. In this instance, the fact the bar will be putting on DJs and live music still has the chance to affect its neighbours, and so the premises licence and its attached rules will be a way for the council to try and prevent this from happening.