Walnut Club Can't Open Later
The Walnut Club Champagne Bar & Grill has been refused permission to extend its opening hours. The bar & restaurant, on Ecclesall Road, had applied to stay open until 1:30AM on Fridays and Saturdays instead of the current closing time of 11:30PM.
Planning officers at Sheffield City Council received 32 letters objecting to the plans, as well as objections by five councillors and Liberal Democrat leader and Hallam MP Nick Clegg. Local residents believe that customers at the venue already make too much noise and that longer opening hours would exacerbate the problem.
Owner Richard Smith defended the plans, saying "We are a first-floor venue with no outdoor drinking or eating. We are a dining establishment, not a nightclub, and our customers are not noisy."
Council planning officers felt that the venue as in the wrong location to open later, with their report saying "Later opening hours will undoubtedly have an impact on the standard of amenity experienced by residents living in close proximity."
Nearby restaurant Nonna's and the Porter Brook pub have also had applications to extend their opening times rejected in recent years.