Wetherspoons given licence for new market town pub

Wetherspoons bought Wetherby's former San Angelo restaurant in 2022

JD Wetherspoon has been granted a licence to open a new pub in a West Yorkshire town.

The company bought The San Angelo restaurant in Wetherby in 2022 and subsequently received planning permission to develop the premises.

At a Leeds Council licensing hearing on Tuesday, Wetherspoons was told it could serve alcohol until midnight on weekdays and 01:00 BST on weekends.

Two letters of objection from nearby residents had been submitted to the council, citing concerns about public nuisance when the site was previously a pub.

But representing Wetherspoons at the hearing, Nigel Connor said the new premises, which will be called The Angel after the pub that was once based at the site, would have a family-friendly atmosphere.

He said: "Food sales will be crucial to this pub. There is no happy hour, no time-related promotions.

"We have policies and procedures to prevent excessive consumption of alcohol."

'Incidents of disruption'

Wetherby councillor Norma Harrington said most local people had no objections to Wetherspoons and suggested it could help "regenerate the town".

But she also voiced concerns over rowdy behaviour from people visiting for events at Wetherby Racecourse.

Harrington added: "We have large coachloads of predominantly males coming to race meetings. There have been incidents of disruption and public disorder."

Wetherspoons said it would put security in place if required.

Councillors decided unanimously to grant the application, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.