POLICE bosses have said the closure of a town centre nightclub is a step in the right direction to making the area a safer place for residents.

Last week, The Sugar Club on Pitt Street officially had its license revoked following a meeting at the town hall behind closed doors.

The club’s director, Ashley Stockton, handed over his keys back to the landlord before the meeting started and withdrew his application to appeal the decision.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson told the Chronicle they were happy with the decision and this is just one part of the work they are commencing.

“We welcome the decision to revoke the premises licence in respect of Sugar Club on Pitt Street in Barnsley following Thursday’s review meeting.

“We had made the request to Barnsley Council’s Statutory Licensing Regulatory Board Sub-Committee to review the premises licence in December last year.

“We had presented detailed evidence for this original hearing demonstrating how the club management had failed to meet the objectives of the Licensing Act 2003.

“This included details of prior meetings and interventions with the club owner and management team, despite which it had recorded several breaches of licensing conditions.

“We are and continue to work with partners to ensure that Barnsley is a welcoming, vibrant and - above all - safe town centre to live in, work in and visit.

“This work with respect to Sugar Club is just one part of the proactive work we are carrying out to ensure the above happens.

“If you have any concerns remaining regarding the town centre, we would urge you to either report them to us or to one of our partner agencies such as Barnsley Council, who we work with under the JoiningForces initiative regularly to support the communities we serve.”