Wetherspoons extends garden opening hours

A Wetherspoons in Oldham has permission to keep its popular new beer garden open for longer – just in time for the summer months.

Customers at the Shay Wake in Shaw can now enjoy an al fresco beverage until 10pm, two hours longer than under their previous license. 

The well-known pub chain opened its newly extended beer garden just last year. Since then, regulars have been ‘keen for use to continue slightly later into the evening’, according to the managers.  

The tavern on Milnrow Road will extend its garden opening hours from 8am-8pm to 8am-10pm Monday to Sunday. 

The extension application was granted by Oldham Council, despite an objection from one unhappy neighbour, who said there was already a ‘crazy noise nuisance’ from several nearby pubs. 

They said: “Is the Shay Wake really not open long enough? The extra noise will be just too much for the neighbours.” 

But townhall planners noted the venue had received ‘no complaints’ when it ran with extended opening hours in the pandemic recovery period and had a comprehensive plan to manage noise. 

This includes a member of staff conducting walk rounds of the garden every 15 minutes during busy periods to ensure customers are being respectful, and noise complaints automatically being escalated to management when they come to the attention of any staff members. 

A statement by the pub chain read: “The new garden has been a popular addition to the premises operation with customers keen for use to continue slightly later into the evening, having operated past 2000hrs during the covid recovery period. 

“It is considered that existing surrounding noise, such as that from the busy roads to the front and side is of a level at this time that later use of the garden would not negatively impact the local area, together with the continued robust management of the area by the premises team.”