A Newcastle nightlife boss has hit out at council bosses for not giving venues a “level playing field” to compete with the city’s Christmas markets.
Ollie Vaulkhard, whose firm runs sites including Barluga and the Bridge Tavern, has complained that bars and restaurants on Grey Street have been banned from installing gas heaters in their outdoor spaces to keep customers warm this winter – but a major festive pop-up has not. The Vaulkhard Group director claimed that the Moosenwirt Alpine Bar and Village, set up in a fully-heated yurt that has taken over a section of the famous street, will “undoubtedly take business away” from neighbouring venues
Newcastle City Council said it was “aware of concerns” about the environmental impact of gas heaters, but that they were required for Moosenwirt as it is a temporary structure without access to other heat sources. Mr Vaulkhard told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he had no issue competing with the festive markets and was pleased with the council’s move to make them more focused on local businesses this year, but wanted “a level playing field for us all to trade”.
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He said: “All of these outdoor areas on Grey Street have been invested in with tens of thousands of pounds and they look beautiful, but they can only be used for six months of the year because you can’t heat them. Then the council allows this bar to go in. Whether you like the bar or not is irrelevant, but it is on land the council has allocated to it and it is full of gas heaters.
“Yet you walk down Grey Street, where all these businesses will be paying their rates in January after the Christmas market has gone, and all of the outdoor spaces are empty.”
Mr Vaulkhard added: “Are we not allowed them for health and safety reasons or is it because we are a green city? If it's health and safety, then let’s address it. If it’s because of the green city, then why are they allowed at Christmas?
“It is a level of unfairness. It is not about the Christmas market taking money off of us – I will go up against a temporary bar and if they win then I need to do my job better. But the council needs to give us a level playing field for us all to trade.”
Newcastle’s Christmas markets returned this year after a Covid-enforced absence and its alpine bar has already proved a popular destination. The venue was created by Boutique Events Hire and Two Tribes, the partnership behind popular Times Square events such as Central Park and Oktoberfest.
A council spokesperson said: “We are aware of concerns about the environmental impact of the bar’s LGP gas heaters, however this is the bar’s only means of providing their customers with heat due to the lack of mains power as a temporary structure. The bar’s operators have assured us they will offset the carbon emissions of the heaters in line with the council’s ambitions to make Newcastle carbon net zero by 2030.
“We want to do all that we can to support all businesses in the city centre in the run up to Christmas while also making the city centre a safe and welcoming place. Permanent premises have the option of installing mains electric heaters which temporary structures do not have. We are committed to achieving our net zero goals and will look to install mains power points to avoid the need for gas heaters in future.”
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