Plans for an axe-throwing bar at an Aberdeen beachfront attraction have been approved after authorities buried the hatchet on safety concerns.
Worries over the dangers of mixing an alcohol licence with the tomahawk-hurling alleys at the Boardwalk on the Esplanade were put to rest after police and council safety experts backed the proposals – on the promise all customers would face a breath test before being allowed to take part.
Aberdeen Licensing Board was brought round to the idea through painstaking planning by the owners, who had called officers, environmental health and licensing staff in to give input on the premises ahead of the licensing board meeting.
The over-18s-only Beach Battle Bar will occupy the space upstairs from the inflatable theme park at Queen’s Links Leisure Park, Innoflate, and will be run by the same firm.
In preparation for their hearing, they submitted around 20 detailed documents outlining policies on everything from how they would control admissions, throw people out and assess participants’ mental health to dealing with accidents, first aid, and deal with emergencies and complaints.
Licensing solicitor Stephen McGowan took 30 minutes to reassure councillors of the venue’s “zero tolerance” approach to mixing alcohol with the potentially dangerous attraction.
He said: “My clients have instructed specialist health and safety advisors – not just in relation to the axe-throwing but all activities have been subject to a full risk assessment.
“We have tried to go about this the right way. It is something we have hopefully painstakingly tried to do because of the novelty and uniqueness of the application.
“In order to take part (in the axe-throwing), participants will have to pass a breathalyser test as well as human common sense assessment of people’s behaviour.”
Key safety considerations which convinced licensing chiefs to back axe-throwing bar plans
The axe-throwing – which will cost at least £60 per half hour session – will take place entirely supervised and sealed off from all spectators.
An instructor will assess participants for safety before they launch the weapons around 15ft down the lane at a fixed target, and remain with them at all times.
No walk-ins will be allowed for the flagship activity and staff will be trained to assess people for intoxication – though all customers will be subjected to a breathalyser test before being handed the haft.
Axes will be kept under lock and key when not in use as part of the licensing agreement, with the proprietors volunteered to shut up shop by 10pm.
The Sunday Post blew off some steam at Scotland’s first indoor axe-hurling centre:
Mr McGowan added: “My clients took the unit on about three years ago, they were not quite sure what to do with it and since the pandemic it has been a dead space.
“The Beach Battle Bar is what is known in the industry as a competitive socialisation venue, which are becoming more and more popular across the UK.
“It is a fancy marketing term for a venue where the primary activity is not necessarily the consumption of alcohol but providing games and activities as the principle draw.
“The food and drink is an important, though an ancillary, part of the business: this isn’t a bar putting pool tables in, this is a bespoke entertainment premises focused on interactive activities.
“I think what has happened in the last few years, the market has moved towards people wanting to have an experience when they go out – rather than just going out for going out’s sake.”
City centre battle bar plans axed to make way for BHS redevelopment
Previous plans for an axe-throwing bar in the former BHS department store and indoor market off Union Street were felled by Aberdeen City Council earlier this year.
The proposed battle bar had already been approved by authorities when the local authority announced it would buy the buildings to transform the central stretch of the Granite Mile.
Councillors approved the plans to make use of the currently empty first-floor bar within the Boardwalk, having been thoroughly reassured.
The premises will operate completely separately from Innoflate downstairs, which is not licensed.
Sergeant Gillian Flett told the licensing board: “I can confirm this application has really been through the ringer and mangle of police, Licensing Standards and Environmental Health – and with good reason, it does set a precedent and we want to get it right.
“Anyone can be affected by literally one drink, which is why Scotland has a drink driver limit of 22 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.
“However this is axe-throwing so that is why I took the position of making the policy clear: if you want to throw an axe, have no alcohol before.
“The breathalysers being in place, as well as human assessment, should go some way to alleviate the genuine concerns the public might have about combining axe-throwing and alcohol.”
Praise for ‘safety being at the heart’ of the potentially controversial plans
Along with the two planned axe-throwing alleys, customers will also be able to play electronic darts, crazy pool complete with miniature golf-style obstacles, high-tech shuffleboard and – to some concern from police – beer pong.
But the bar’s version of the American frat house favourite, where players make opponents drink by throwing a ping pong table across a a table and into their cup, will be limited to a single pint of beer per player per hour.
Renovations of the Boardwalk, which closed its doors in early 2018 after its House Of Fun attractions hit financial troubles, are already underway.
Licensing board convener Marie Boulton said: “The raft of papers submitted in advance was very helpful.
“Mr McGowan and his clients have put a lot of work into making sure what could be seen as a controversial application was streamlined, with safety at the heart of it.
“Council officers and police have worked together to make sure what is before us is very comprehensive and thought through.”