New bar battles to open after 'council delays and errors'

A man fears his new bar may collapse before it even opens after a long battle with the council.

Solomon’s Taproom was set to open on May 4, taking over the former Stalbridge Hotel on St Mary’s Road in Garston. Opening the bar, which would serve local craft beer, has been a long-term ambition for Paul Maloney, 43, and his wife Braidy.

Paul told the ECHO that he first submitted a change of use application to Liverpool City Council in November 2023, outlining his intentions to turn the site into a bar. However, he had to redraw part of his application and re-submitted it in March of this year, expecting an answer in time for him to open later this spring.

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Since then, Paul says he has sent weekly emails to the planning officer dealing with his application in order to look for answers and reassurance that he could open as planned. He said that many of his emails were eventually responded to with delays or with incorrect information.

Emails shared with the ECHO show Paul being told to make amendments to his plans so they would accord with the local development plan and could be approved. They also show the planning officer apologising to Paul for delays in responses and apologies for providing aspects of incorrect information.

On April 23, Paul was told that the officer was happy with the amended plans and was told that he should have a decision by April 29. However, Paul received an email on April 29 (Monday) telling him that his application must be determined by the city council’s planning committee, rather than giving him the green light to open on May 4.

There is no committee hearing until June due to local elections taking place this month. This means that Paul cannot open as he planned and may have to delay until June.

He is very worried about what this means for Solomon's. He has spent recent months converting the former hotel into a bar and has spent £5,000 on stock so far.

Additionally, he is due to start paying bills this month, as well as paying staff. Due to these impending outgoings, he fears the bar may never be able to open.

Paul told the ECHO: “I was sending weekly emails checking on the progress. There was no reply from the office for days, so many delays.

"It's now at the stage that If I don’t open on May 4, I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to open.

“We’re hiring two people who could be unemployed now - they’ve moved from other jobs to come here. I’ve bought beer, wine and spirits for the bar - that’s about £5,000."

He added: “I’ve got to pay rent and utilities from May 1, but I’m not able to make any money from my business. Two of my staff left employment to come here.

“Am I going to have to tell those two people that they now have no employment because the city council can’t make a decision on change of usage application?

“I’m really annoyed. I’ve put a lot of money and time into this - we’ve already had hurdle after hurdle to get it ready. If I can't open in May, I'm not sure we'll be able to at all."

A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “This case is currently a live planning application and it would be inappropriate to comment any further.”

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