Owners of a Leigh pub where work to extend a beer garden was halted because there was no planning permission have now been given the go-ahead to carry on.

A ‘retrospective’ application to Wigan council’s planners for the Brewery Inn on the corner of Brewery Lane and College Street has been approved by officers without going to the planning committee.

Retrospective applications are usually submitted when the applicant may have unintentionally overlooked the need to get approval from a local authority.

Drawings show a boundary fence fronting onto the two streets – which has already been erected – surrounding grassed area partitioning a car park at the rear. The pub is owned by Inglenoon Inns and Taverns Ltd, and the tenant/manager is Colin Fryer.

A report on the council’s planning portal say the extension created a small external drinking area to the pub.

It goes on: “The amenity impacts of the expanded external drinking area on sensitive neighbouring uses and needs to be assessed, such as noise from users of the beer garden. 

“The site does not directly adjoin any residential properties. However there are residential properties in reasonably close proximity of the site on Smith Street, College Avenue and Brewery Lane. 

“On balance, it is assessed that the proposals are not likely to result in unacceptable amenity impacts. The application has been publicised by site notice and by letters to the neighbouring flats and houses, and no objections have been received.”

 The pub is owned by Inglenook Inns and Taverns Ltd, based in Blackburn, and the tenant/manager is Colin Fryer.

At the time the extension was halted Mr Fryer said: “We’ve left it to our head office. A fence was put up about 12 months ago and then we got a letter from Wigan council saying the work had to stop. 

“We thought we would have to take the fence down, but it’s been left so that if the application is approved the work can restart.”