Councillors have granted an alcohol licence for a new restaurant and bar inside Harrogate’s Royal Baths.
The Wicked Wolf will open in Unit 3 of the council-owned building, which is next door to JD Wetherspoons and was once home to the Potting Shed, Rift & Co and Revolution.
Applicant Kevin Spencer asked for permission for the Wicked Wolf to serve alcohol between 10am and 3am, seven days a week.
Councillors North Yorkshire Council’s statutory licensing sub-committee met at Harrogate Civic Centre this morning to consider the application.
They were told that Mr Spencer has run several late-night venues in Wakefield over the past three decades.
According to a solicitor who was speaking on Mr Spencer’s behalf during the meeting, he is planning to invest £150,000 into the new business which will create around 25 new jobs.
The unit has been empty for five years and spans a massive 7,000 square feet.
Plans for the business will see the building split into a food and restaurant area which will serve up pizzas, burgers and Mediterranean food on one side with the rest of the site becoming a bar area.
The application received eight objections and three letters of support, with many living in flats near the building fearing the venue could increase noise and anti-social behaviour.
One objector spoke at the meeting and said she was not against the site being used for a bar but that she was worried about the potential for poor behaviour due to the late-night licence.
She said residents had previously suffered from revellers urinating near their homes, ringing their doorbells and damaging cars.
However, she said problems have stopped since nightclub the Viper Rooms closed in December 2022.
The objector said:
“They’re beautiful flats and spoiled by people who couldn’t care less. If it’s Friday and Saturday night they’ll enjoy themselves no matter what.”
In response, the solicitor said the venue would employ door staff and he added that the council had approved licences for other late-night venues in the town centre including Best Bar, Mojos and Foundry Project.
The Grade II listed Royal Baths was purchased by North Yorkshire County Council in 2018 however its value has fallen from £9.5m before the Covid pandemic to £7m, according to a report.
Other parts of the Royal Baths are currently used by a Chinese restaurant as well as the Turkish Baths but the council has struggled to find new tenants for the Viper Rooms and Potting Shed units.
The council said there has been a “general drop in market sentiment” towards the retail and night-time sectors.
The Potting Shed closed in 2019 after less than a year in Harrogate when its parent company went into administration.
One letter of support urged the council to approve the Wicked Wolf application as they said it would give the town’s flagging night time economy a boost.
They said:
“This property has been empty since 2019, and many people feel that Harrogate is becoming a ghost town full of empty units that were formerly bars, nightclubs, and shops.
"This is incredibly sad and must change in order to encourage people to start socialising in this town again.”
The committee approved the application unanimously.
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