One of Manchester's most popular al fresco dining areas - Wetherspoons - makes change to its garden

One of Manchester’s most popular al fresco drinking and dining spots — The Moon Under Water Wetherspoons on Deansgate — is making a change to its garden area.

The pub, one of JD Wetherspoon’s largest in the country, opened in 1998 and installed an outdoor seating area on the Deansgate pavement in 2000. That has provided space for countless punters to enjoy a drink in the sun, a meal al fresco, or a cigarette outdoors on the eight tables and 25 chairs outside.

But now, the chain wants to make changes to the way it operates in order to protect the pub. Last year, it installed new moveable planters to protect customers from the elements.

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That was because its old barriers could be blown over in the wind, new planning documents reveal, or be pushed out of the approved zone the pub is allowed to place them in, thereby causing ‘concerns that they may cause a hazard to passing pedestrians at these times’.

Now, ‘Spoons wants to keep their planters on the street ‘outside of permitted hours of use of the seating area, being 11pm to 8am Monday to Sunday’, the planning application adds.

“After the tables and chairs area removed the planters would be moved up against the forecourt step,” the statement goes on. “The planters would be removed entirely and stored securely at particular times this was requested by the police or a council representative, for instance during times of special events within the city.”

The pub says it’s asking for permission to keep them out because ‘damage is being caused to the planters by moving them onto the private forecourt area each night due to the lip of the step and has resulted in damage to the forecourt tiling’.

You can view and comment on the plans, until May 17, online here or by searching for ‘139802/JO/2024’ on Manchester council’s planning portal.