Wetherspoons may revisit Otley Run ban relaxation

Pub crawlers have been allowed to drink in The Golden Beam in Headingley every Saturday in September

Pub operator J D Wetherspoon has said it is once again considering asking for permission to let those on a famous pub crawl into one of its Leeds venues.

The Golden Beam in Headingley was opened by the chain in 2021 with a licence condition barring it from serving people taking part in the Otley Run, which is often completed by students and graduates wearing fancy dress.

Earlier this year, the firm said it wanted to end the ban, but later withdrew its application to Leeds City Council to do so after local criticism.

However, the venue has allowed access to pub crawlers on Saturdays in September after the council granted it permission to relax the rules on each of those days.

J D Wetherspoon said the timing of the move "was not dictated" by the return of students to the area for the new university year.

But one customer described the scenes inside and outside the pub last Saturday as "chaotic".

Daniel, who did not want to give his full name, said he often visited the pub for food with friends before Leeds Rhinos home games.

He said he saw a couple in their "late fifties or early sixties" among those turned away by security staff, who said the pub was full to capacity.

"I go there normally because there's a good atmosphere with like-minded people and other rugby fans," he said.

"I've got no problem with people doing the Otley Run, but when it's full of people who are there solely to drink as much alcohol as they physically can then it's obviously going to be a different atmosphere."

He added: "I wouldn't have gone had I known they had been allowed to let Otley Runners in."

The pub opened in 2021 with a licence barring it from serving anyone doing the Otley Run

This Saturday marks the last in a series of temporary event notices the council granted the firm across five successive weekends from 6 September, which relaxes the ban on each of those days.

Headingley and Hyde Park councillor Jonathan Pryor, who is the council's deputy leader, said he was "keen to know what local residents" had thought of the temporary change, but added: "So far I have not had anyone get in touch specifically about this."

A spokesperson for the pub chain said it had "no plans to apply for any more temporary event notices" but that it would "consider whether we apply for the permanent removal of the condition after gathering feedback from the local community and the local authorities".

They added: "The timing was not dictated by the return of the students but it has been helpful that, particularly over the last two Saturdays, the pub has been busy so we could properly assess any impact on our neighbours and identify any operational measures needed.

"We want to ensure our regular customers get their usual levels of service and measures are being put in place for this weekend."

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