A NEW “high-end” restaurant is due to open in Bolton before Christmas.

Restaurant Ruspante has been granted a premises licence to trade from the former Fairclough’s butcher shop which has closed after 120 years in Egerton.

The restaurant promises to offer a “fine-dining” experience with free range food from local farms as well as a wine list sourced from the Bolton area.

Lauren Jane Argentino, the designated premises supervisor, revealed the restaurant’s plans to councillors at a licensing hearing on Monday morning.

She said: “We want to attract customers primarily for locally-sourced, farmed and free range produce and, ultimately, a first-class dining experience.

“Living in Egerton myself, it’s a wonderful village and I really do hope that the restaurant will complement the area.

“I really hope that the neighbours within the area and the people will enjoy joining us in the restaurant as they do with many other public houses within Egerton as well.”

Neighbouring residents and businessowners raised concerns to the council about noise coming from the restaurant and its customers when they leave.

Ms Argentino was asked to address these concerns at a virtual meeting of the licensing sub-committee held via video conference on Monday morning.

She said: “We understand the neighbours’ immediate concerns – I think primarily the noise pollution and the public nuisance.

“However, the finished design of the restaurant, I’m sure will put everybody’s mind at ease.

“Obviously, you can’t see me today and I would have liked to point out the lobby area within the restaurant where people will be able to wait indoors in a sound-proofed area for any taxis or collections outside if the customers are disabled and need collecting from outside the building.”

Alcohol can be supplied on the premises from 10am to 10pm every day.

The restaurant will be open from 9am to 11pm from Monday to Saturday and until 10pm on Sundays.

Ms Argentino confirmed that only “ambient” background music would be played at the restaurant at a low volume.

She added: “With the COVID-19 situation in place at the moment, we don’t expect at this very moment to be having any more than 10 to 15 covers.

“Going forward, we don’t know what is going to happen in the near future unfortunately – we’ve had to put in place a lot of screening on the actual premises, we have up to the opportunity of 30 – but we’re not expecting any more than that at all. 20 to 25 will probably cover the restaurant in total.

“With the COVID-19 situation being as it is, it has delayed some of the building works, although the majority of it has finished now, so it will open before Christmas time.”