Preston pub and restaurant Tulketh Tap Room and Clockwork Bistro forced to close as landlord seizes building
A popular micropub and a restaurant have closed after their building was seized by the landlord.
Notices have appeared in the windows of Tulketh Tap Room and Clockwork Bistro in Tulketh Brow, Ashton.
Both businesses have been shut for the last two weeks, with the owner of Clockwork Bistro telling customers it was due to “an issue with the lease”.
The doors have been closed since Sunday, May 19. Clockwork Bistro initially said it was temporary and it hoped to reopen “in a couple of weeks”, but neither venue has yet to reopen.
On May 22, the restaurant announced its ‘temporary’ closure on Facebook.
It said: “It is with upset that we have to let you all know that due to an issue with our lease we can not open for a couple of weeks until this has been sorted.”
Notices taped to the windows of both pub and restaurant say the building has been ‘secured’ by landlord Kenilson Properties and warns anyone who enters could be prosecuted.
The notice states: “As a consequence of re-entry, the Lease is determined and the Property has been secured. “AND TAKE NOTICE that no-one can lawfully enter the Property unless they have been given authorisation by the Landlord.
“Any attempt to enter the Property without the Landlord’s authority may be a criminal offence and result in prosecution.”
Pub at risk of losing licence
The seizure of the building comes as Lancashire Police requested another licence review of Tulketh Tap Room.
The week the pub closed, the force applied for Preston City Council to review its premises licence, citing concerns over crime and disorder.
If the council’s licensing sub-committee finds against the bar’s management, it could issue sanctions including tougher conditions or even revoke the licence entirely.
It’s not known at this stage whether the landlord’s seizure of the building is related to the licence review. The bar’s owner, Ray Woods, said the review was sparked by a violent incident which he says occurred in an alleyway near the pub on May 8. He said the incident was unrelated to his pub and occurred after the bar had closed.
Posting on Facebook, Mr Woods said: “We have been made aware of an incident that happened around the Lane Ends area last night (May 8).
“It DID NOT occur at our premises and had no connection to us or any of the guests in our bar!
“We had long been closed when it happened. Please refrain from speculation and spreading rumours with our name.”
Ray says this led to a visit from the police who raised a number of concerns, including selling alcohol after licensable hours.
A police spokesperson said: “Lancashire Constabulary applied for a review of the premises licence of Tulketh Tap Room under Section 51 of the Licensing Act 2003.
“A hearing will be held in the near future where the Licensing Sub-Committee will determine the most appropriate action to take.”
The licensing review is now live with people able to give feedback to Preston City Council until June 13.
The public notice states the review relates to ‘crime and disorder’ and the ‘prevention of public nuisance’.
Tulketh Tap Room and Clockwork Bistro were approached for comment.