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New Albert’s restaurant wants 3am booze licence

Monday, 31 March 2025 15:40

By George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporter

The new Albert’s eatery taking over the old Nutters restaurant site in Norden wants to serve booze until 3am, but locals aren’t keen.

The new Albert’s eatery taking over the old Nutters restaurant site in Norden wants to serve booze until 3am, but locals aren’t keen.

The historic Wolstenholme Hall site will be brought back to life as an Albert’s restaurant, after gaining planning approval earlier this year. But before they open, Elle R Leisure – the company behind Albert’s and Dukes 92 – will have to go through a licensing hearing.

The eatery bosses want permission to serve alcohol and play music from 11am until 3am, with permission to stay open until 3.30am. 

Ward councillor James Gartside, as well as other local residents, have raised concerns about the potential for noise disturbance on what is largely a green space area.

Rochdale Council’s licensing sub-committee will meet in Number One Riverside – council HQ – on Monday, April 7 to hear the opinions of both the objectors and Elle R Leisure before making a decision on the premises licence.

The vision for the 1800’s building off Edenfield Road is for it to become much more than just a restaurant, with plans for a bar, function room and a private dining space. A glazed ‘winter garden’ around the south east corner of the hall is proposed. 

The new restaurant would boast 180 covers a night alongside a private dining room for up to 40 people. There would also be two function rooms for 80 and 150 people. 

There has been talk of the venue being transformed since Nutters restaurant closed in 2021 following three decades in business. Run by award-winning chef Andrew Nutter, he said it closed due to the ‘immense suffering’ caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Planning permission for the new restaurant was granted in January. Bosses say the business would contribute more than £5m to the local economy and create 80 jobs. 

Elle R Leisure runs four Albert’s restaurants in Manchester city centre; Standish in Wigan; Worsley in Wigan; and Didsbury in south Manchester.

Wolstenholme Hall has been an iconic building since 1850. It was used as a hospital from around 1920 until the late 1970s before being turned into a nightclub. After the club closed in 1988, the building stood vacant for four years before being bought by Whitbread for use as a restaurant. 

In 2003, it was purchased by Rodney Nutter – father of chef Andrew – and used as an eatery until 2021.

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