Two Harrogate bars are fighting back against the council’s threat to remove their outside tables and chairs with a week’s notice.
Over the weekend, more than 2,000 people have signed a petition calling on Harrogate Borough Council to reverse its decision.
Simon and Sharon Colgan run both The Blues Bar and The Empress, and took advantage of the relaxed rules on outdoor dining in recent months.
Now, the council said it will remove any tables and chairs left on the grass after this Thursday. It raised fears that Stray land could be damaged when the weather changes.
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Dozens of messages of support were posted after the Stray Ferret shared the news that the outdoor chairs and tables would have to be removed.
Sharon said she has around 2,000 signatures behind the bar and nearly 600 on the change.org website over the weekend. The website reads:
“Please sign a petition to keep the tables and chairs outside The Blues Bar and The Empress. The area has allowed us to keep our patrons safe and our staff employed. Without this space we won’t be able to attract the number of customers we need to keep our staff employed.”
Simon and Sharon Colgan are the owners of The Blues Bar and The Empress.
A spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council told the Stray Ferret:
“Given the time of year and the impending bad weather, we are now asking all businesses who have been using Stray land for tables and chairs to remove them. This is to prevent damage to the Stray and also reduce the risk of injury should it become wet and muddy.”
The owners of The Blues Bar and The Empress have said that they would contribute towards maintenance of the Stray if it became an issue. They are meeting with council officers later in the week to discuss the situation.
North Yorkshire County Council had previously said it would be “happy to review any requests for longer term use of the public highway” for al fresco dining.
