Chapel Down restaurant closes

Chef-restaurateur Richard Phillips has closed his restaurant at Chapel Down Vineyard in Kent, after Ashford Borough Council restricted the number of weddings the venue could host. The restaurant shut last week after a very difficult decision.

It has been made chiefly due to the restriction made by Ashford Borough Council Planning Department to the venue's wedding licence. The effect of the decision has created a negative impact on the venue's projected income, it said.

The site at Chapel Down Vineyard offers an excellent environment which has been extremely popular with wedding parties and remains a destination venue. Together with the loss of wedding income, the dramatic change in economic conditions has increased trading pressures on the restaurant.

Chapel Down chief executive Frazer Thompson said the decision was disappointing.