Work to extend the bar at Mojo in Harrogate is to begin in the next fortnight.

Voodoo Doll Limited, which trades as Mojo, plans to convert commercial office space on the first floor into a seating area. The extension will add an additional 2,000 sq ft to the bar area.

Construction work is due to begin on the venue on Parliament Street on April 22 and is expected to be complete by the end of May. although, Voodoo Doll Limited told the Stray Ferret it would “prefer not to commit to a specific date at this time”.

Plans were first submitted in September and were approved by North Yorkshire Council in January. In documents submitted to the council, the company said the move would help to cope with demand at the bar.

It said:

“The proposed extended customer floor space seeks to address demand and reflects the success of the business in Harrogate and as such will positively contribute to the character and vitality of the town centre.”

Company director Martin Greenhow said:

“We at Mojo are thrilled to announce our plans to expand our Harrogate site. In response to the popularity of our existing Shuffleboard and beer pong tables, we’ve decided to introduce some exciting new features. While we’re keeping the final details under wraps for now, you can expect to see the very best in competitive socialising coming soon to Harrogate.”

Drawings of the first floor extension, coloured in red

Mojo was established in 1996 in Leeds and has since opened bars in Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield. The Harrogate bar opened in 2018 and is now a prominent part of the town’s night scene.

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Councillors have granted an alcohol licence for a bar in a Knaresborough industrial estate that will be run by Harrogate Brewing Company.

But North Yorkshire Council’s statutory licensing sub committee added a condition to ban a proposed beer garden after concerns were raised about reversing HGVs at Hambleton Grove Industrial Estate.

The family-owned brewery specialises in craft ale and operates from a different industrial estate on Hookstone Chase in Harrogate where it operates a small bar, also called a taproom.

Martin Joyce from the company said it will use the industrial unit in Knaresborough for storage as well as for a second taproom so people can try beers brewed in Harrogate.

He said he wanted to create a “community environment” for Knaresborough and councillors met this afternoon in Harrogate to consider whether to grant the bar an alcohol licence.

Mr Joyce said:

“To set up a pub these days is significant whereas I can utilise the space I’ve got for storage and a taproom, That creates business sense to me and gives back to the community.”

During the meeting, councillors heard from environmental health officer John Mathews who warned there had been instances of HGVs reversing into cars at the industrial estate — close to a proposed outdoor area for drinkers.

This forced the council to issue a health and safety improvement notice to the landlord of the industrial estate in November 2022.

Since then, improvements have been made but Mr Mathews said the safety of customers visiting the bar could be put at risk by a new reversing area.

He said:

“It presents a risk for customers who are likely to be near large reversing vehicles, possibly under the influence of alcohol.”

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In response, Mr Joyce proposed alternative opening hours so that customers would only be able enter the premises at a time when HGVs are prohibited from entering the industrial estate.

Cllr Andy Paraskos, who represents Spofforth with Lower Wharfedale and Tockwith for the Conservatives, raised concerns about out-of-hours deliveries from other businesses at the industrial estate impacting on the bar. 

He said: 

“Surely some of these businesses will want out of hours deliveries at some point. I’m sure there will an issue there.”

However, councillors ultimately agreed to grant the alcohol licence with a condition attached to ensure that all activity at the bar takes place inside to reduce any risk of vehicles reversing into customers.

The approved opening hours are as follows:

• Thursday (May until September): 4pm – 10pm
• Friday: 4pm – 10pm.
• Saturday: 12pm – 10pm.

Harrogate Brewing Company has proposed to open a new bar at Hambleton Grove Industrial Estate in Knaresborough.

The family-owned brewery specialises in craft ale and operates from a different industrial estate on Hookstone Chase in Harrogate.

Plans are underway to expand into Knaresborough with a taproom and outside beer garden area in the heart of a residential area.

Councillors on North Yorkshire Council’s licensing sub-committee will meet next Monday to consider whether to grant an alcohol licence which would be valid from midday until 10pm all week.

The applicant has agreed conditions with North Yorkshire Police including installing a CCTV system and ensuring staff are fully trained.

Applicant Martin Joyce wrote in an application that drinkers would sample beers on-site as well as also being able to buy bottles to take home.

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Mr Joyce added that during the summer months, the business may hire a food truck and use the outdoor area as a temporary bar.

The application received one objection from a nearby resident due to the potential for noise when revellers leave the bar late at night.

They said: 

“Given that it’s in a residential area, it is highly inappropriate that residents should have to tolerate noise from a pub between midday and 10pm 7 days a week.”

The objector also said a long-standing problem of parking in the streets surrounding the industrial estate would be made worse by the new bar.

They added: 

“The estate itself has numerous daily deliveries from HGVs. It is hard to see how these could be accommodated alongside the parking of cars, not to mention the potential risk to pedestrians using the site.”

The meeting will take place next Monday at 1pm at the Civic Centre in Harrogate and it will be streamed live on the council’s YouTube channel.