A wine bar is under investigation amid allegations it is breaching planning conditions. Wine Republic in Cardiff is already mired in controversy over claims its owner oversaw a toxic culture in his previous venture and failed to pay staff £10,500 in wages.
Adam Pledger, 45, is well-known from his time running Park House, an award-winning Cardiff city-centre restaurant which went bust last March. Recently we reported that the restaurant owed seven staff members a total of £10,500 in wages and that Mr Pledger had blocked their messages for months.
Last October the businessman opened a Rhiwbina venue called Wine Republic, which on its frontage displays the words "wine bar". This week our reporter visited and gathered evidence of the business appearing to operate as a bar without planning permission. Mr Pledger told us the site was "primarily a wine shop" but that he would look into the concerns. Cardiff Council said it was investigating.
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Before its launch Wine Republic, based at 6C Heol-Y-Deri, was granted an alcohol licence by a Cardiff council licensing committee. But its address, previously an interior design shop, still has a planning use class of A2 (professional or financial services). It does not have a use class of A1 (retail) or A3 (food and drink). Welsh Government guidance describes A3 as being "for the sale of food and drink for consumption on the premises", including "drinking establishments".
In November we were contacted by an anonymous source who said: "Wine Republic doesn't actually have planning permission.. If Adam applied for A3 consent, certainly soundproofing would be a requirement. They currently have no soundproofing."
We raised the issue with the council, which said the property could "continue to be used as a shop" under its planning use class. But its spokesman added: "If the premises is selling food and drink which is being consumed on the premises, then the owner may require planning permission." The council said the allegation would be "looked into further to see if any breach of control has taken place".
One evening this week we sent a reporter to Wine Republic to investigate for ourselves. Our understanding is that the A2 use class may permit wine-tasting and free samples being consumed on the premises. It does not appear to allow the sale of food and drink for consumption on the premises. Yet that is exactly what was offered by the food and wine menus laid out on tables in the plush Wine Republic.
Our reporter said: "When I went in, Adam Pledger asked me and my friend if there was anything he could help us with. I asked him if we could get a couple of glasses of prosecco, which cost £6 each, and he said that was no problem. There were three booth-style seating areas inside, and a couple of higher tables in the middle of the shop which people can sit on and have drinks and food brought to them.
"We sat in one of the booth areas, and also ordered some bread and olive oil from a food menu, which was £3.50. Adam brought the bread and the prosecco to the table. The shop felt like a restaurant, with menus dotted all around the tables. One lists the various foods you can get, including different cheeses, bread and olives. And the other menu shows what wines you can buy by the glass. We sat in the shop for an hour, and finished both glasses of prosecco and the bread before we paid the bill."
The food menu included a "cheese and charcuterie selection" comprising four artisan cheeses and four Trealy Farm cured meats served with crackers, quince and chutney. The price was £18 for one person or £35 for two.
When we presented our evidence to Mr Pledger he said: "This is something I will have to investigate. We are primarily a wine shop." The 45-year-old claimed he had not been contacted by the council about the matter and had not been aware of an issue. He said he had no further comment.
In Cardiff, planning permission is always needed to change use class to A3. When we showed Cardiff council our evidence, a spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment further while its own investigation is ongoing.
The former Park House staff members who are allegedly owed £10,500 said in a statement: "The audacity of [allegedly] serving food and wine without the proper planning permission only adds to the maddening disregard for rules and morals. Opening another business should never have been an option... It baffles us how Adam Pledger expects to brush aside the fact that he owes people wages. Is he under the illusion that we'll simply walk away from this? It's time for him to face the consequences of his actions, because we're not letting this slide.”
We previously revealed former Park House employees' allegations of bullying, tax discrepancies, chaotic negotiations with suppliers, and gruelling shifts rewarded with unreliable pay. Staff, who claim their Park House wages were paid by a Wine Republic account, started an online petition with the message: "Our [former] employer, Adam Thomas Pledger, has been ignoring us for months and withholding our wages. This is not just about money; it's about respect and dignity."
The former staff called for people to support their "fight for justice" by signing the petition and boycotting Wine Republic — which prices cases of wine at up to £310 — until the alleged debts are paid. In a statement to WalesOnline they said: "We have struggled terribly for months with the loss of our wages and no jobs. We worked relentlessly for him and his business. Many of us have been on anti-depressants due to the fact we couldn’t afford to live. He disappears... then opens a fancy wine bar in the same city. It’s an insult to Cardiff."
Our earlier reporting on the Park House employees' claims includes allegations bullying, tax discrepancies, chaotic negotiations with suppliers, and gruelling shifts rewarded with unreliable pay.
Records show that nine employment tribunals since 2019 have found that Park House owed wages. Across those cases Mr Pledger's business was ordered to pay a total of £23,568.
When we first reported on allegations of a "toxic" culture and "exhausting" work conditions, Park House said it could not comment on individual cases but "refuted the contents of this article". The restaurant told us last April: "We are one of the 13,000 hospitality businesses that have closed since Covid. And it is with great sadness that Covid coupled with the cost-of-living crisis meant the business became unsustainable. We are working hard to minimise the distress caused to all stakeholders."
If you would like us to investigate an issue in Wales, email us at conor.gogarty@walesonline.co.uk
