Agenda item

Councillor I Chilvers left the meeting at this point.

Application: 2020/1263/FUL

Location:  The New Little Coffee Shop, 8 Brook Street, Selby

Proposal: Continued use of ground and first floor cafe (being a variation to

the opening hours)

The Principal Planning Officer presented the application which had been brought before Planning Committee at the request of Cllr J Chilvers, who had submitted the request in line with the respective call-in period and objected to the proposal.

The Committee noted that the application was for the continued use of the ground and first floor café, being a variation to opening hours.

The Officer Update Note set out details of a report correction regarding the site being listed as within the shopping and commercial centre, when in fact the boundary was the pavement outside the premises. This meant that the site lay immediately adjacent to the shopping and commercial designated area. However, it had no formal designation other than being within development limits and the Conservation Area; this changed the emphasis in paragraphs 1.3, 3.1, 4.7, 5.2, 5.3, 5.8, 5.10, 5.19, 6.2 of the report and meant that Policy SEL/10 was not directly relevant. 

The Officer Update Note also gave details of an additional letter of objection, which highlighted a number of concerns including the potential impact on residential amenity. A revised response had been received from the Environmental Health Officer, requesting further information about the provision of amplified music and extraction/ventilation arrangements. In relation to raised voices, previous concerns had been expressed regarding speech transmission between adjoining walls, and at neighbouring properties as customers leave the premises. The proposal to extend opening hours to 2200hrs once per calendar month for a 12-month temporary period was considered to be satisfactory by the Environmental Health Officer.

The Committee asked questions about how a temporary consent would be monitored over the 12-month period, and that if full permission was granted following the provisional period, how would any subsequent noise issues that could occur be mitigated. Officers explained that it could be difficult to enforce matters that were out of hours, with the onus placed on adjacent occupiers to record such disturbances; there were Environmental Health controls that could be utilised, such as recommended decibel/noise levels, but the report before Members only contained details of planning controls.

Aimi Brookes, objector, was invited remotely into the meeting and spoke in objection to the application.

Councillor J Chilvers, Ward Member, was invited remotely into the meeting and spoke in objection to the application.

Mrs Amanda Baldwin, applicant, was invited remotely into the meeting and spoke in support of the application.

Members debated the matter in full and expressed some concerns about the application, in particular relating to potential disruption to neighbouring properties and the impact on residential amenity, with detrimental impacts that could be difficult to control.

The Committee agreed that the scheme required stronger controls and conditions in order to mitigate problems from the beginning. Members agreed that economic activity in the town was to be encouraged, but that the concerns of residents should also be taken into account.

Members concurred that the development and negotiation of stronger conditions should be undertaken by Officers outside of the meeting in conjunction with Environmental Health; as such, the application should be deferred.

It was accordingly proposed and seconded that the application be DEFERRED.

RESOLVED:

That the application be DEFERRED for Officers to undertake further work, in conjunction with Environmental Health, to strengthen conditions and controls for the scheme, in order to mitigate potential impacts on the residential amenity of neighbouring properties.