Multi-platinum-selling artist Ed Sheeran has been given the go ahead by the council to turn his Notting Hill restaurant Bertie Blossoms into a pub.
Having opened last year, the Portobello Road restaurant (named after Sheeran's wife Cherry Seaborn), has up until now only been licensed to serve drinks to those who are also eating.
However, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council have now approved a request submitted to them in November which allows the establishment to serve drinks to anyone sat down. This means that customers will now be able to come in just for a drink or two without needing to order food.
The decision comes after locals had expressed worries about the level of noise coming from the two-floor restaurant as customers left in the evenings. These same locals are now said to be incredibly disappointed and angry about the council’s decision amidst fears that turning it into a pub will mean it starts to attract a different sort of crowd.
The Thinking Out Loud singer has already tried to reduce the risk of noise by buying the flat above the restaurant. He previously bought two houses on either side of his London mansion after receiving noise complaints, with the cost of buying all three properties (including the one above Bertie Blossoms) totalling £4 million.
Bertie Blossoms launched in July of last year and has already been visited by pretty big names including footballer Peter Crouch and model Abigail Clancy. The food menu offers dishes inspired by different parts of the world and has received mixed reviews from critics. ES Magazine restaurant critic Jimi Famurewa praised the restaurant's atmosphere, but had little time for the "quite short, waywardly Mediterranean menu".
Wanting to eat somewhere where you can do a bit of celeb-spotting at the same time? Check out our list of the best restaurants in London for star spotting.