ONE of York's oldest restaurants is facing closure, after Leeds Brewery unveiled plans to turn it into a pub.

Plunkets has traded in High Petergate for 38 years but could now close within months.

Leeds Brewery has unveiled plans to convert the 375-year-old building, and turn it into its second pub in the city, following the success of the Duke of York, which it opened in King's Square in October 2013.

North Yorkshire Police's licensing officer PC Matt Balmforth has today told The Press the force will oppose the licensing application, as it believes there should be no more pubs or bars in the city-centre, but such opposition has been overcome by other applicants before. Leeds Brewery is confident it will be able to show that its pubs have not been trouble-spots in the past.

Plunkets, which has around 20 employees, was placed on the market last year. The current owners had had the business since 2006 but the building has been a restaurant for more than 50 years and has been Plunkets since 1977.

>>> FLASHBACK: Plunkets put up for sale

It is famed partly for having been visited by the Rolling Stones in 1968, and the band members' autographs are still visible on an upstairs wall.

The building dates back to 1640, and is reputed to have once been owned by the Terry family.

York Press:

Leeds Brewery plans to use the ground floor and the two floors above

Michael Brothwell, co-owner of Leeds Brewery, told The Press today that the company would spend around £250,000 on the building, and would open up parts that are currently not open to the public.

He said: "The Duke of York has done really well - better than we expected, and I live in York so know it here. We might not do much more in York after this but these two sites book-end the city-centre and naturally complement each other."

He said pubs like Leeds Brewery's were not the cause of drinking problems in York city-centre.

The brewery plans to have a bar and seating on the ground floor and additional seating on the first and second floors. It would serve food as well as drink.

Its plans are dependent upon licensing and planning consent from City of York Council, and also approval from the Helmsley Group, which owns the building, and the Diocese of Middlesbrough, which owns a small part piece of land at the back of the site, backing on to St Wilfrid's Church grounds.

PC Balmforth for North Yorkshire Police said the force would oppose any new pub or bar licences within the city-centre. He said he had yet to view the application, but said the applicant would have to show that there would be no increase on the "cumulative impact" of York's existing licensed premises.

He said: "If it is in the Cumulative Impact Zone it is something we would oppose."

  • The Press has invited Plunkets management to comment