Liverpool’s branch of Hooters has found itself in hot water with the city council again.
Amid ongoing controversy surrounding illegally mounted signs outside the business on Water Street, the restaurant has now irked the local authority once again over its placement of tables and chairs. Correspondence seen by the ECHO has confirmed Liverpool Council has ordered Hooters to take them away.
Should the restaurant fail to comply, it could be hit with a fine, but Hooters bosses claim to have not received anything from the city council.
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This is not the first time Hooters has found itself at loggerheads with the council. In April this year, it was confirmed that a bid by the American chain to appeal a decision by the city council denying them planning permission for two large illuminated signs outside the Water Street venue had been dismissed.
The business was subsequently given 14 days to remove the signs or face prosecution. As they remain up, Liverpool Council has confirmed to the ECHO it will now seek to start prosecution proceedings against Hooters under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007.
During the Eurovision celebrations, a series of flags, including the Hooters logo imposed with the colours of Ukraine, were also put up outside. Now, owing to a lack of appropriate licence, it faces another set-to with Cunard Building officials.
Rachael Moss, managing director at Hooters Liverpool, said she or her staff had not received a notification from Liverpool Council in relation to the tables and chairs. She said: “If that’s all they have to say we’ve proved we are a fantastic, ethical bar and restaurant.”
A series of small yellow and blue chairs and tables have been seen located outside the New Zealand House location earlier this week.
Earlier this year, it was confirmed Liverpool Council would seek to take Hooters to court over the large orange and black signs under which they have been sat.
An application was made by Beauvoir Developments, the company operating the Hooters Liverpool franchise, to put up the signs in March 2022. This was rejected by Liverpool Council’s planning committee in October, but this did not deter the business and they put up the signs anyway.
An appeal was received by the Planning Inspectorate in February of this year and a site visit undertaken by inspector Sarah Colebourne last month. In her decision, Ms Colebourne said the appeal lodged by Hooters had been dismissed, citing there was “no public benefit that could outweigh the harm identified” by the signage.
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