A RESTAURANT has seen its plans to open an outdoor area for diners approved by councillors.

Michael Walker, owner of Empire Restaurant and Bar, had applied to turn a car park area behind the Chorley New Road property into a seated patio but officers from Bolton Council raised concerns about the noise.

He told a meeting of the authority's Licensing Sub-Committee on Thursday that the eatery was attempting to keep pace with its competitors.

"As the business owner I have seen what has been going on with new restaurants that are doing things differently to us and have a lot of trade," he said.

"They have mostly got outside dining areas and our customers have said there is nowhere to eat in the sun and enjoy the weather."

He added: "This is make or break for us as a business."

Mr Walker's application to the council set out plans to have the outdoor area open until 9pm at night, with a CCTV system to monitor the space.

A representative from the authority's regulatory services department raised concerns that the change could cause noise disruption to neighbours although no other residents in the area had registered objections to the proposals.

Additionally, there was also an application to vary the opening times of the restaurant and the alcohol serving hours.

Alcohol serving hours will now be 11am-11pm on Mon-Thurs, 11am-midnight on Fri-Sat and 11am-10.30pm on Sunday. Opening hours will be 6am-10.30pm on Mon-Thurs, 6am-12.30am on Fri-Sat and 6am-11pm on Sunday.