Catch Headingley Leeds: Sudden closure of former Bryan's fish and chip shop amid pizza restaurant plans

Catch Headingley on Weetwood Lane closed suddenly last September. The fish and chip shop replaced the popular Bryan's chippy, a longstanding establishment that was previously based at the north Leeds venue before it was rebranded to Catch and refurbished in 2020.

A licensing application has now been submitted to Leeds City Council to turn the premises into "a family focused pizza restaurant, cocktail bar, and function room".

The owner of a business near to the site claims that Catch Headingley closed "all of a sudden" last September. They claimed some employees only learned of the closure on the day it shut. out on the day of closure.

He told the YEP: "Some staff came in after and said 'we've just found out it's our last shift'.

"Since then people who went as kids have come back and been disappointed as they didn't realise it had closed. It's a large restaurant space but it wasn't always busy. There were rumours that it would close."

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The licensing application was submitted to the council on February 29.

The local Labour party has said that it will comment "with the aim of ensuring that the business flourishes without negatively contributing to existing problems around the Otley Run".

In a statement the group said its submission would read: "We support the establishment of a new family restaurant in this location. However, it is well established that there is a need to limit the negative 'cumulative' impact of the Otley Run in this area of Weetwood."

It has proposed that the venue should ensure that "alcohol should be consumed seated" and that there should be no admittance of "groups in fancy dress/or engaging in 'the Otley Run’".

The application also requests that the venue be allowed to open from 10am to 1am on Monday to Saturday and from 10am to midnight on Sunday.

To view the application visit the council's licensing application portal. A consultation is currently open and comments can be submitted until March 29.