A NEW pizzeria pub is set to open in East Oxford but neighbours feared it could ‘upset’ the sense of community with its later hours.

Brewery Charles Wells, which has four pub restaurants in its Pizza, Pots and Pints brand, now wants to add the Oxford Blue in Marston Street to its collection.

Thames Valley Police has agreed but with a number of conditions, which include the firm drawing up a policy on crowd dispersal, noise and responsible service of alcohol.

However a number of neighbours have objected to the company’s licence application which seeks permission to serve alcohol until midnight and stay open until 12.30am – one hour later than the pub’s previous licence.

Jo Linzey, who lives nearby, commented on the application online: “We have lived through several incarnations of these premises playing live and recorded music and this problem has never been addressed.

“The garden is very small and there is also noise from drinkers late into the evening and often most of the daytime at weekends - often such that we can’t sit in our own gardens.

“I have no objection to another eatery, though there are plenty of pizza operators already in the area.”

Cowley Road, at the end of Marston Street, has a number of pizza restaurants including Mario’s Pizzeria Trattoria, Pizza Roma and Atomic Pizza.

Across the city the pizza pub combination has proved popular in recent years with the arrival of The White Rabbit in the city centre, The Rickety Press in Jericho and it sister pub The Rusty Bicycle in East Oxford.

But the East Oxford residents near the Oxford Blue feared the latest proposal could ‘upset the balance and sense of community’.

Marston Street resident Laura Tunbridge wrote: “I have concerns about the impact of the longer hours of opening, the potential for sound pollution, the pressure on already limited parking space.

“This is a residential street with professionals, young families, students, and elderly people living alongside each other.

“We generally do so quite amicably and it would be a shame to upset that balance and sense of community.”

She called for a noise survey and for the garden to be closed at 10pm.

Neighbour Michael Daly wrote: “The hours of business proposed would suggest they have ignored the fact the premises are located in a residential area.

“If unreasonable disturbance to neighbours is to be avoided, the premises should be closed by 11.30pm at the latest.”

Oxford City Council’s environmental health team echoed the views of residents and said it was ‘concerned about noise breakout’ both from patrons outside the pub and music inside.

Officer David Acreman said the council would withdraw the objection if the external drinking area was shut from 11pm, all doors and windows were closed when music was playing and the noise did not exceed 45db.

The council’s licensing committee will make a decision at Oxford Town Hall at 5.30pm on Monday.

Charles Wells Ltd did not respond to a request for comment.