Wetherspoons Counting House pub to make beer garden permanent at Glasgow's George Square

A Wetherspoon pub in Glasgow’s George Square has been granted permission to make its beer garden permanent.

Outdoor areas have been open at the Counting House under occasional licences, initially granted during the pandemic to allow firms to trade.

Bosses at the bar chain asked the city’s licensing board to vary their licence, so tables and chairs outside the venue can become full-time fixtures.

And, despite one objection from a neighbouring business, board members agreed to the change.

Archie MacIver, representing the pub, said: “During the Covid period, there were licences granted for outside areas and Wetherspoons has come before you today to try to make those occasional grants permanent.”

He added: “Wetherspoons operate hundreds of premises throughout the UK and in Scotland, virtually all of them have outside areas, they are very experienced in managing them.”

The objector, whose firm is based directly above the Counting House, said pub bosses had breached the current licence, placing seating outside the agreed boundary.

He made “secondary objections” to “noise, social disturbance, mess” and “access to our premises.”

Mr MacIver admitted tables and chairs had been in the wrong place but they were removed.

A licensing official said there was an area that “doesn’t feature in the current occasional licence permission or on the variation application, however it did feature in a previous occasional licence grant.”

He added: “In terms of what I understand to be the area that is being referred to, that has been recently addressed by Wetherspoons after it was highlighted by licensing standards.”

The area is no longer included in the application, he added.

Mr MacIver said the beer garden would include “a line of tables and chairs” on St Vincent Place and then an area in George Square, which can seat up to 160 people.

The licensing board was told that staff will always be managing the external area, ensuring people remain seated, and security cameras are also in place.