JD Wetherspoon plc has applied to Cheltenham Borough Council to extend the opening hours of its Moon Under Water pub, situated on Bath Road near Sandford Park and the High Street. The current opening schedule allows the pub to operate from 8am until midnight daily, with Fridays and Saturdays extending to 1am. The proposed variation would see Sunday to Wednesday opening hours extended to 1.30am.
Alongside the request to open later, the application includes extending permissions related to alcohol sales and entertainment on those same days. If approved, the pub would be allowed to serve alcohol until 1am from Sunday to Wednesday and provide late-night refreshments and regulated entertainment until 1.30am.
The application, submitted on 29 July, is available for public inspection at the Cheltenham Borough Council offices during regular opening times and on the council’s website through the licensing section.
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Members of the public who wish to comment on the application may submit their representations in writing or via email to [email protected] by 26 August. Following this, the council will review all valid responses and decide whether to grant the licence variation as requested, with or without additional conditions. This decision may be made under delegated authority or referred to a licensing sub-committee for a hearing.
Moon Under Water is one of two JD Wetherspoon pubs in Cheltenham, the other being the Bank House located nearby. The name “Moon Under Water” is inspired by George Orwell’s idea of the perfect pub. The building itself was originally a garage and showroom constructed in 1929 on the site of a Regency-era house known as Cambray Pavilion.
JD Wetherspoon operates 793 managed pubs and 23 franchise locations across the UK. In recent company reports, it acknowledged slower-than-expected sales growth and issued profit warnings, impacting investor confidence despite anticipated boosts from the World Cup and favourable weather. The company also highlighted an additional £60 million in costs arising from increased wages and National Insurance contributions this year.