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11
Nov
Council stays tight-lipped on tenancy at former Wicked Wolf bar in Harrogate
The prospect of revival at what was The Wicked Wolf in Harrogate remains to be seen.
The Montpellier Gardens bar, which is part of the North Yorkshire Council-owned Royal Baths complex, was one of a flurry of new venues that opened in the town last Christmas.
When the Stray Ferret visited the site ahead of its opening, owner Kevin Spencer told us the company would “continue investing in Harrogate, supporting the night-time economy and enhancing the already amazing day-time offerings”.
Yet just four months later, in April this year, operations ground to a halt.
Now seven months on, the bar is still closed, the building still vacant and the circumstances surrounding the bar still murky.
The Wicked Wolf has never publicly addressed why the site closed, nor if it plans to reopen.
The council has revealed little more itself, telling the Stray Ferret in July the tenancy “had not ended”, but declined to reveal any other details.
But, following a recent freedom of information (FOI) request submitted by the Stray Ferret, the council this time declined to tell us if the company behind The Wicked Wolf is still the tenant.
We also asked the authority if there is a new tenant lined up to take over the site, and to provide all correspondence between The Wicked Wolf tenant and the council since January 1, 2025.
North Yorkshire Council said it held all the information requested but declined to share any of it:
I can confirm that the council holds this information, however it is exempt from disclosure by virtue of Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
This is because its disclosure would be likely to prejudice the legitimate commercial interests of North Yorkshire Council and The Wicked Wolf, Harrogate.
The Stray Ferret also asked the council how much income has been lost in rent, service charge and business rates since the The Wicked Wolf site shut in April.
A North Yorkshire Council senior property officer said:
I can advise that the initial rent payable under the agreement with the Wicked Wolf started at £60,000 rising to £120,000 following a phased stepped increase, with an additional service charge of £44.905.31 which included CBRE fees.
There is no business rates payable while the property is vacant due to a listed building exemption.
With the council staying tight-lipped on the status of the tenancy, it's unclear how much the tenant behind The Wicked Wolf has already paid to the council and if it is continuing to pay rent and service charge.
Background
The Wicked Wolf shut after experiencing “major issues” with the kitchen, which The Wicked Wolf said could not be resolved at the time.
The Stray Ferret has submitted several FOIs about the site, contacted the bar repeatedly and visited The Wicked Wolf venue on numerous occasions to find out more. The Wicked Wolf has not responded to any of our enquiries.
The latest FOI response not only raises further questions about the tenancy at the site, but also the council's ability to run The Royal Baths as a successful commercial asset against a backdrop of vacant units.
The authority bought the grade-two listed Victorian Royal Baths complex for more than £9 million in 2018 in a bid to bolster its commercial investment portfolio.
Instead, it has been dogged by poor investment returns and vacant units.
A council report published in August this year valued The Royal Baths at just £6.3 million and forecasted an investment return of just 1.45%.
The former Viper Rooms unit on Parliament Street has been vacant for almost three years.
As we reported last week, a new lease of life is yet to materialise after an offer made by a prospective new tenant collapsed.
The council could have generated around £580,000 from the former Viper Rooms unit alone, had it stayed it stayed open under its agreed terms over the last three years.
The former Tourist Information Centre has also stood empty since February 2024.
The Royal Baths complex is not entirely vacant, with The Turkish Baths and The Royal Baths Chinese restaurant still operating out of two units at the site, and the site has generated a revenue surplus of £218,155.29 in the last financial year, according to the council.
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