A NEW restaurant planned for the city centre has been given the go-ahead, despite neighbours' worries about noise and the opening hours.
Jimmy's is due to open in the former Cafe Rouge building in Low Petergate. The company is run by a family from Helmsley and already has two branches in Manchester and one in Liverpool.
The owners updated their application for a licence to open and serve alcohol until 11.30pm Sunday to Thursday and 12.30am Friday and Saturday. They removed a request to allow live and recorded music from the application. But neighbouring businesses and residents said they are worried the restaurant could lead to noise and drunken behaviour.
Christine Potter, a resident, told a licensing hearing: "I welcome the changes that the applicants have agreed. However I don't think they go far enough. I would like to see them finish time be 11pm."
Rebecca Hill, who runs a nearby business, said there are concerns about noise from the kitchen fan.
And Steven Bruce, speaking on behalf of neighbouring residents, said there are concerns over the closing time on Fridays and Saturdays. He feared the late opening hours could make it a "go to place for late night drinking".
"We know from experience that revellers coming along Petergate can at times be a little unsightly," he said.
"The street doesn't currently have premises where there's late night drinking. That will possibly add to the problem."
But the council, police and another resident withdrew their objections and the owners of Jimmy's said they are not planning to run it differently to the former restaurant, Cafe Rouge.
Solicitor Felicity Tulloch, representing Jimmy's, said: "They are experienced operators, used to operating in a city centre near residents.
"In a year that's seen hospitality hit hard, they are fortunate to still be going and thriving and looking to expand.
"The application we launched before Christmas was wider in its scope and we would like to take the opportunity once again to apologise to those residents who were alarmed particularly by the reference to live and recorded music. It wasn't our intention at all to cause any distress. They just want to be good neighbours."
"There's no room for live music to take place, if there is music played it would be background only.
"To allow it to turn into a late night drinking venue would be in breach of many of the conditions that have been agreed and obviously there are severe penalties for operators if that were to happen.
"It can't become a vertical drinking establishment."
The licensing committee granted the application with additional conditions. The Press has asked the council for more details of the extra conditions.
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