THE Oldfield restaurant empire took a step closer to welcoming a new member to the family after it won a legal battle against a local authority.

Newcastle City Council tried to block owner Bill Oldfield's ambition of opening a Newcastle restaurant, to complement his existing Durham outlet, when it refused planning permission for premises in Osborne Road.

Oldfield Restaurants applied to change offices and an assembly hall into a contemporary English fine dining restaurant.

Residents opposed the planning and licensing applications, amid fears the restaurant and its customers would create noise and disturbance and extra traffic.

The opposition persuaded the council to refuse the application.

But Oldfield Restaurants appealed to the Secretary of State to have the decision overturned.

The company has also satisfied licensing justices that a restaurant licence should be granted for the premises. Oldfield Restaurants worked with Newcastle legal team Ward Hadaway to fight the decision.

The company plans to open restaurants in major towns and cities across the region, with York earmarked as a potential future location.

The firm courted controversy when it closed the original Oldfield's in Barnard Castle and also shut down another establishment in Darlington earlier this year.