Three Ferrets pub in St Ives seeks to extend operating hours

The Three Ferrets pub in St Ives, Cornwall, has applied to extend its operating hours despite a history of significant antisocial behaviour. For over a decade, the establishment was associated with fights, drug use, and public nuisance, leading Cornwall Council to impose strict licensing conditions in October 2022.

Those conditions included reduced hours, mandatory security staff, and a restriction on admitting new customers after 10pm. While a July 2024 application to extend hours was refused, the sub-committee previously agreed to remove the 10pm entry restriction.

Landlady Maria Francis is now seeking to extend the closing time from 11:30pm to 12:30am. She is also requesting to lift a condition that requires all doors and windows to remain closed during business hours, proposing they be opened between 10am and 6pm to create a more “welcoming and pleasant environment.”

While Devon and Cornwall Police have not submitted formal representations against the changes, six local residents have written to the council in opposition, expressing fears that the extension could lead to a return of the disorder that previously plagued the area.