A SADDLEWORTH pub has been given the go-ahead to serve customers in an outside bar at its premises.

An application for a beer garden bar to be constructed at The White Hart Inn at Lygate on Stockport Road was submitted to the council, which has now approved the plans.

The grade II listed building, which was constructed in 1788, was used as a police station and a brewery before being turned into a pub.

A design and access statement with the plans sent to the local authority said the outdoor bar, located inside the pub's main beer garden, was proposed as a consequence of the pandemic.

It said: "With requirements for social distancing and better ventilated indoor spaces, many businesses are reviewing their existing outdoor space and/or considering how to access additional outdoor space to obtain valuable covers for alfresco dining and drinking.

"This is no different at The White Hart, which is having to adapt to ensure it can continue to function as a business while ensuring safety for its customers and staff.

"At present the White Hart is functioning below capacity in order to ensure some level of social distancing.

"In addition it has developed a new app to allow customers to order drinks directly from their phones to allow staff to bring drinks to them at their table.

"This helps to keep crowds thin and spaced out for those few still wishing to use the bar area.

"This process has had a knock-on effect as it now requires staff to spend considerably more time carrying drinks from the bar areas to several more remote areas of the premises (such as the beer gardens).

"And as people are frequently more comfortable in the open air during the pandemic staff are repeatedly carrying drinks to the furthest areas of the premises."

The statement added: "As such the proposals are to install a small external bar, in a hidden corner of the existing main beer garden, to enable customers sitting in the garden the option of using an open-air bar (purely for beer garden customers) while also providing a closer ‘station’ to drastically cut down the time staff are spending on table-service.

"The proposals will allow customers to enjoy the surrounding gardens in relative safety, limiting their need to enter the main buildings – in addition improving safety and workload for staff."

One objection was made over noise concerns, but after being considered by the council's planning department, the application was granted.