South Shields micropub wins permission for longer opening hours to help it bounce back from covid

An application was lodged with South Tyneside Council in 2020 to change the opening hours of Harton Hop House.

The venue showcases craft beer, ales, gin and whisky with “carefully selected eats and wine” and is based off Sunderland Road in the Harton area.

A new bid from applicant Fairlotti Leisure Ltd aimed to extend opening hours to 9am-11pm, seven days a week.

A supporting planning statement noted the cafe/restaurant business has been “devastated” by Covid-19 due to restrictions in place since March 2020.

It added the extended hours would give Harton Hop House “the best opportunity for survival and protect jobs.”

This included the option of offering themed nights, where the menu is changed to attract more custom, and a ticket/booking system to control customer numbers, once restrictions on the hospitality sector are lifted.

The planning statement adds: “The applicants are conscious of their local community and neighbours so on the nights in question they would offer a service of ordering taxis for customers so they wouldn’t need to wait outside the premises, and all refuse would be bagged and disposed of on the next day to prevent any noise nuisance.”

The venue also hoped to use the earlier hours to offer breakfast, brunch, coffee and pastries.

During consultation, one objection was received from a neighbour about the potential noise the extended hours could create.

As part of the planning process, the council’s environmental health department made amendments to the hours applied for to safeguard the amenity of neighbours.

This included 9am-10pm, Monday to Wednesday, 9am-11pm Thursday to Saturday and 9am-8pm on Sunday.

These hours were later agreed by the council’s planning department with a decision report published on February 12, 2021.

The report noted that several surrounding commercial uses exist with evening opening hours – such as a pub, convenience store and 24-hour service station.

Due to the size of the Harton Hop House in this context, planners said the new opening hours would not result in “material harm to the amenity of any neighbouring land use.”

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