Spanish restaurant can serve diners outdoors until 11pm, council says

COUNCILLORS approved extending La Feria’s premises licence so the Harrogate restaurant can serve customers on its outdoor terrace until 11pm.

The new arrangement will be valid between April and September and means diners can now use its outdoor terrace later than 9pm, which was previously allowed.

La Feria, which is the trading name of Whaddya Know? Ltd, had a temporary licence for outdoor seating until 11pm last summer.

North Yorkshire Council officer Wan Malachi told councillors on the licensing sub-committee that the restaurant received no noise complaints during this period.

However, the application received three objections from residents near to the restaurant with one person saying late-night outdoor dining would “significantly impact our peace and quiet”.

The building was previously a pub for many years and was known as the Old Tradition, the Honest Lawyer and the Iron Duke.

The restaurant offers Spanish cuisine from the Andalusia region and opened on Cold Bath Road in 2016 after moving from a smaller premises on Royal Parade.

During the licensing meeting at Harrogate’s Civic Centre, general manager Sarah Johnson told councillors the restaurant enjoys being part of the Cold Bath Road community and staff ask guests to be respectful when leaving.

Ms Johnson said: “We are very sensitive to the neighbours and want to live in harmony with everybody on Cold Bath Road.”

She added that regulars have requested the extension until 11pm and the more relaxed hours would help the business grow.

Ms Johnson added: “We have to politely ask customers to leave by 9pm due to the restrictions. It can be challenging as people would like to stay longer and relax. Were a family-run and friendly restaurant, not a late-night bar or music venue. We’re just trying to extend a later dining experience in the summer for our guests.

“Our regulars say it would be lovely to sit out here a bit longer in the evenings. We survived Covid as an independent restaurant so we would just like an opportunity to give staff extra hours and make more money for the business. Our restaurant is a favourite place for people to go.”

This satisfied the three councillors on the committee who approved the premises licence extension.