Spanish Town Hall Music License Refusal Closes Expats' Favourite Restaurant

The hugely popular Peppermill restaurant in Benidorm has been forced to close after a long-running fight to get a music licence failed.

The Peppermill Restaurant has been a favourite with British expats in Benidorm as well as hordes of tourists for years, especially for its Sunday roasts, bargain breakfasts and friendly bar.. Unfortunately, the fight by its owners to get a live music license has also been ongoing for some years without success, with owners Trevor and Jane Knight finally throwing in the towel and announcing its closure.

The ongoing reason for the local council’s refusal to grant the necessary license is that the restaurant’s location isn’t in the popular holiday and expat resort’s main entertainment area but is set in a ‘rustic location’. Presumably, the implication is that the noise caused by live acts would disturb local residents, but the lack of live music means more lost business for the restaurant’s owners who’re already struggling to deal with the economic downturn in order to make necessary payments,

The owners’ decision to close rather than keep on fighting with the local town hall has hit hard on Benidorm’s expat community, most of whom are depressed enough already by the uncertainly surrounding the final outcome of Brexit. Many regular customers are posting support messages online, with the words ‘gutted’, ‘greatly missed’ ‘great food and service’ and much more in frequent usage. Many expat regulars are now wondering whether Spain wants British businesses to close down once the UK is no longer a member of the EU, and even more are hoping against hope the restaurant’s closure can be reversed.