Ex-champion Amir Khan gets approval for Dubai-style wedding hall near Manchester

KARACHI: Pakistan-origin British ex-boxing champion Amir Khan has secured approval for a luxurious Dubai-style wedding hall (banquet hall) near Manchester.

Permission has also been obtained to open a new £11.5 million glass-enclosed building that will house a music bar. The four-storeyed glass-fronted building is called Balmaina. A large number of Pakistanis live in this area, but people from other countries will also be able to get married here.

The wedding hall in Bolton hosted its first wedding earlier this year. But Amir Khan, 37, and his business partners later applied for a licence saying they would play music until 12:30 in the night. The area, located between rows of terraced houses in Bolton, has previously been the subject of debate due to residents’ concerns about noise and traffic, as residents were fed up with the noise. They said there were hundreds of cars, the noise of which was spoiling the environment around them. Another neighbour said: “I objected to allowing live music and dance performances because it would be ‘noisy and disturbing’, which will affect our private life.” Despite fresh objections and protests from local people, the councilors decided to approve the application. Director of Amir Khan’s Business Partners Excellence Plaza, Mohammad Jabransari, told the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting that he wanted that Balmaina should be ‘revitalised and become the best wedding venue in Bolton and the North West where local people can get married and enjoy themselves.