PLANS to add an enclosure around a seating area at a Lake District brewery have been given the go-ahead.
Members of the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) development control committee went against officersâ recommendations and unanimously approved proposals from Keswick Brewing Co to add an oak framed enclosure within the existing outdoor seating area at their site on Brewery Lane.
A design and access statement submitted by the applicant says the plans would improve âtrade opportunitiesâ.
The applicantâs agent, Peter Winter told the committee they can grant this âconfidentâ there will be no âadverse impactsâ on neighbouring properties or the local community.
Mr Winter added the outdoor area is usually cleared by 8pm so the applicants are happy for the committee to place a condition for the outdoor area to be vacated by this time.
The design and access statement says: âThe proposed oak framed structure would provide year-round cover and having a permanent outside covered area gives more surety to staffing levels.
âThe permanent structure will not increase the opening times for the business but will improve trade opportunities within the current operational times which will assist with the increased overheads and utility bills caused by the current economic climate.â
The outside area closest to the bar at present relies on the use of gazebos when the weather is poor or to provide shade when it is too hot to sit in direct sun but the gazebos canât be used if it is windy, the statement adds.
In a report prepared for the committee, planning officers recommended refusal and concluded: âThe proposals would provide a highly usable and flexible space for customers of the brewery which is likely to be attractive throughout the year.
âThe potential for increased and intensified activity in very close proximity to the boundary of the site and neighbours to it is likely to lead to an unacceptable increase in noise and disturbance over and above that which currently exists.
âThe scale and location of the proposed shelter would lead to an overbearing effect and a loss of light to the ground floor windows of nos. 1 and 2 Brewery Lane Cottages.â
However, committee member Richard Outhwaite said: âI donât feel the impact of the shelter on those properties to the rear is so significant to warrant refusal.â
He added if the condition suggested by the applicants were to be imposed âthereâs no good reasonâ to refuse planning permission.
Committee member Tiffany Hunt added: âOne of the key factors is the amount of noise that you get at night, so I think if the condition that the applicants offered could be added to the application, it makes it much easier to support.â
Members of the development control committee for the LDNPA approved the proposals on May 1 at Murley Moss in Kendal with conditions relating to the siteâs use after 8pm.
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