After two nights of public hearings, Vancouver city council rejected an application from Calverton Holdings Ltd. to move its liquor licence for the Odyssey to Denman Street.

On Thursday (April 9), Mayor Gregor Robertson and the entire council with the exception of the NPA's Suzanne Anton voted against moving the LGBT nightclub into the old Starlight Theatre at 911 Denman Street.

The Odyssey's current location  at 1251  Howe Street is being redeveloped into a city housing project. The club will have to vacate the site by April 30, according to a city staff report.

During the public hearing, many West End residents spoke against moving the nightclub, complaining that it would create too much noise. The West End Citizens' Action Network and the Vancouver school board also wrote to the city to express their concerns.

"I think this is one of those times when the mayor should show a little leadership and stick up for the minority," Anton said in an NPA news release.

The Odyssey's owner, Michael Levy, has claimed that the nightclub might be forced to close for good. The city staff report stated that given the operator's track record, this type of application "would generally result in staff supporting the request".

The applicant wanted to open a 224-seat club that would be open from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m., seven days a week.

Of 1,000 surveys sent out in a neighbourhood notification area within a couple of blocks of the proposed site, 453 residents expressed opposition and 112 were in favour.