Bid to allow unaccompanied 12 to 15-year-olds into Edinburgh pubs

Caroline Loudon, a licensing solicitor representing the company, said at the licensing board meeting on Monday: “These are family friendly venues with well-trained staff.

“It offers an accessible space for children to start going out without parents or guardians but with the checks and balances you’d want for your own family.”

Under the proposal, youths aged 12 to 15 would be permitted to enter the venues unaccompanied to purchase food and soft drinks until 20:00.

They would be required to provide proof of age with a valid Young Scot Card or passport and would be limited to face-to-face table service.

The company is also seeking a licence to serve children under 12 when with an adult.

Under 12s would be permitted until 23:00 unless attending a private function, in which curfew would be 01:00.

Loudon told the committee her own daughter was a similar age and struggled to find local venues she could go to by herself.

She said coffee shops often closed at 18:00 and teenagers tend to migrate to hotspots such as Lothian Road and St James Quarter.