Legendary Sheffield nightclub Niche applies to extend hours ahead of long-awaited reopening

The legendary nightspot is due to be relaunched on Saturday, January 28 at its new venue under the Wicker Arches - more than a decade after its old home in Sidney Street closed.

The club's opening night sold out in just three minutes and tickets for a second event the following Saturday were snapped up in a couple of hours, according to the Niche Facebook page.

Owner Steve Baxendale, who ran Niche before its closure in 2005, told The Star in November how he wanted to bring back the 'bassline' sound pioneered by club, with some of its best-known DJs set to return.

A licensing application for Niche details plans to extend the opening hours from 4am to 5am at the venue in Walker Street, which was formerly home to Arch 9, with alcohol to be on sale until 4.30am.

It also requests the lifting of a stipulation that police must be given seven days' written notice of any plans to open the premises open beyond midnight on a weekday.

However, it sets out a raft of proposed new conditions, including the need for at least two bouncers with body-worn cameras at all times and for a scanner to record clubbers' identity documents.

The licensing application, which is yet to be approved, was submitted to Sheffield Council at the beginning of last month, and the deadline for representations passed on December 29.

Mr Baxendale, who lives in Bangkok and also runs Sheffield’s Tank nightclub in Arundel Street, previously told The Star the revived Niche would open on alternate Saturdays and would be aimed at a 'discerning' crowd made up largely of older Niche 'aficionados'.

Niche opened in 1992 but was closed in 2005 after a police raid. News of its reopening, via the attention grabbing Facebook post 'The beast called NICHE is awakening', generated huge public interest in November.

Man jailed for 13 years for shooting at Sheffield pubThree Sheffield off-licences face review over child safety concernsTV's Take Me Out host Paddy McGuinness 'offers' campervan to owners of Sheffield brothelFarage for PM, Bowie virtual tour, Brexit block brouhaha, trillionaire top Trump ... and other 2017 predictions!Sheffield Wednesday: Owls close to bringing in second January recruitSheffield United: Samir Carruthers on goosebumps, greasy chip butties and first day gaffesDownload The Star's mobile app now for FREEGet all the latest Owls statsGet all the latest Blades stats