Cafe banned from selling tables and chairs (From Echo)
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Leigh cafe banned from selling tables and chairs
7:00pm Wednesday 16th January 2013 in Local News
Forty Two
SUSPICIOUS councillors smelt a rat when a cafe banned from expansion tried to set up a new business next door - selling tables and chairs.
Members of Southend Council’s development control committee gave the bid by the owners of Forty Two, in Broadway, Leigh, short shrift when it came before them.
The cafe is based in the back of its building and banned from using the front for serving customers.
But its owners asked for planning permission to convert the front into a shop which would display tables and chairs for sale.
Chris Walker, a Tory councillor for Eastwood Park, said: “Call me a cynic, but I don’t believe this shop is going to be used for selling.
“I cannot see this as a serious application.”
Mike Grimwade, Lib Dem councillor for Prittlewell, added: “I’m also very suspicious about this.
“The fact it is for tables and chairs - that just doesn’t ring true to me.”
Government planning inspectors granted permission for part of the building in which the cafe as based to be used for selling food and drink in 2008.
However, in order to preserve the shopping frontage of the Broadway, they insisted the front of the building would have to remain a store and no tables or chairs could be placed there.
In their application, the cafe’s owners claimed they had been approached by a furniture business which was interested in using the space to display its goods.
However, councillors said there was no way they could control which customers would be genuine visitors to the shop and which would be visiting the cafe.
The business’s owners are already being pursued through the courts by council chiefs for previously flouting the ban on using the front of the building.
Councillors threw out the application on the grounds it would undermine the previous decision by planning inspectors.
No one from Forty Two was available for comment.
Comments(14)
Keptquiettillnow
says...
7:41pm Wed 16 Jan 13
DogsMessInLeigh
says...
8:57pm Wed 16 Jan 13
yes should of thought about this when taking the place on...still they have got the outside bit on the side, must be missing out though especially as all the other places around them have seating everywhere.
DogsMessInLeigh
says...
8:58pm Wed 16 Jan 13
Carnabackable
says...
9:04pm Wed 16 Jan 13
cazza
says...
10:30pm Wed 16 Jan 13
jaguarxxv
says...
10:33pm Wed 16 Jan 13
cazza
says...
10:51pm Wed 16 Jan 13
jaguarxxv
says...
8:03am Thu 17 Jan 13
Eric Whim
says...
12:24pm Thu 17 Jan 13
Eutraveller
says...
12:58pm Thu 17 Jan 13
The premises is good for nothing else nowadays, the entire street has been killed by councillors being unnecessarily rigid on use, the world has changed, everybody goes to the out of town shopping parks, let the Broadway live again as a foodie area. The more the better, they will not kill each others business, they will attract even more customers. (if they are any good)
Max Impact
says...
6:29pm Thu 17 Jan 13
Eutraveller wrote:Planning laws are there for each and everyone of us to follow, how would you like it if your neighbours extended their house so it over looked your garden without getting planning permission first?
Why not let people make a living, who are these councillors !! tell me how the world will become a worse place if they put tables and chairs in the room and serve food.
The premises is good for nothing else nowadays, the entire street has been killed by councillors being unnecessarily rigid on use, the world has changed, everybody goes to the out of town shopping parks, let the Broadway live again as a foodie area. The more the better, they will not kill each others business, they will attract even more customers. (if they are any good)
Alekhine
says...
11:24am Fri 18 Jan 13
Max Impact wrote:Nobody is building anything, the structure is already there. Who will be inconvenienced?
Eutraveller wrote: Why not let people make a living, who are these councillors !! tell me how the world will become a worse place if they put tables and chairs in the room and serve food. The premises is good for nothing else nowadays, the entire street has been killed by councillors being unnecessarily rigid on use, the world has changed, everybody goes to the out of town shopping parks, let the Broadway live again as a foodie area. The more the better, they will not kill each others business, they will attract even more customers. (if they are any good)Planning laws are there for each and everyone of us to follow, how would you like it if your neighbours extended their house so it over looked your garden without getting planning permission first?
Having rules for the sake of rules is nonesense and costs money (just ask the EU).
Antonius
says...
6:24pm Fri 18 Jan 13
mys842 says...
7:02pm Wed 16 Jan 13