The managing director of a luxury Ribble Valley hotel says he is “very excited” for its new chapter following planning approval for a new restaurant.
The restaurant at Northcote Hotel near Langho was approved by council planning officers last week after an application was submitted in the summer.
Currently, the hotel has a Michelin-star restaurant led by chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen and is said to be one of the UK’s leading food and wine destinations.
The new pavilion restaurant aims to create a “serene dining experience” and is positioned two metres below the main house’s ground level, ensuring unobstructed views of the valley.
Craig Bancroft, managing director of Northcote, said: “We are delighted to be one step further towards our plan to build a signature restaurant at Northcote. It is something we’ve always wanted to do as it will allow us to offer two exceptional dining room experiences and encourage more guests to extend their visit to a two-night gourmet experience.
READ MORE: New restaurant at Langho's Northcote Hotel approved
“We are very excited because this is the beginning of a new chapter for Northcote. It has taken longer than envisaged to achieve planning permission, as the application was first lodged in June 2022. The landscape has changed in terms of the economic environment and the general outlook; therefore, we will now need to recommence the process of planning the final interior design and form a clear understanding of the financial investment required.
“It is our intention to give each restaurant a focus and its own identity, and to provide a platform of pure excellence that will be revered by many.”
Mr Bancroft said the plan is for the traditional Northcote dining room to become a brasserie, still featuring a very high level experience and sourcing quality ingredients, but in a more simplistic and affordable way.
He added: “The new development in the grounds will be a bespoke signature restaurant to help Lisa Goodwin-Allen to reach her full potential. The signature restaurant will be a modern, diverse space that will give a fabulous dining experience in line with the Northcote ethos, and present a highly focussed, bespoke operation.
“We look forward to sharing more details in the coming months and keeping our loyal clients and trade partners up to date as we progress with this development.”
Following approval, developers now have a three-year period in which to begin work on the restaurant.
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