An outdoor shisha café granted planning permission to open until 9pm on Tuesday October 7th has been found to be breaching it’s permitted hours just two days later. The Planning and Highways Committee were advised that the Bamboo Lounge (245 Ecclesall Road) opened without planning permission in early September. Local residents speaking against the application reported regular late night opening to midnight and beyond in the month since. Permission was granted to open for 2 years but with strict conditions.
Eamonn Ward
Broomhill Green Party spokesperson Eamonn Ward comments:
“I sat behind the applicant and his solicitor at the meeting. Councillors repeatedly asked if they were prepared to stick to the conditions in their application – they include closing at 9pm and no amplified sound or live music. I stopped there at 10pm 2 days later and the café was open and quite busy. A big screen tv was on the football channel shortly after the England match. There was no sign that the café was about to close for the evening.’
‘The applicants are aware that 9pm closing applies along Ecclesall Road to cafe, pub and restaurant outdoor seating areas. Despite this they want to operate a shisha café that seeks to attract late night business. I will be working with Green Cllr Brian Webster and local residents to ensure they adhere to the conditions attached to their planning permission. And to ensure that stretched council budgets do not have to be spent on officer enforcement due to the deliberate flouting of planning decisions.”
NOTES :
1.The planning application reference is 14/02614/FUL
2.The following conditions were attached to the granting of planning permission:
The use shall cease on or before 8th September 2016 Reason: In order to define the permission and because the permanent use of the site as an outdoor cafe would both undermine and prejudice the satisfactory regeneration of the site.
2 The development must be carried out in complete accordance with the following approved documents: 14/031 002 Rev A 14/031 003 Rev A Reason: In order to define the permission.
3 No customer shall be permitted to be on the premises outside the following times: 10:00-21:00 on any day of the week Reason: In the interests of the amenities of the locality and occupiers of adjoining property.
4 No deliveries to the cafe shall be carried out between the hours of 21:00- 07:00 on Monday to Saturday or 21:00-09:00 hours on Sundays and Public Holidays Reason: In the interests of the amenities of the locality and occupiers of adjoining property.
5 No movement, sorting or removal of waste bottles, materials or other articles, nor movement of skips or bins shall be carried on outside the building/s or within the site of the development (shown on the plan) between 2100 hours and 0700 hours (on the following day) Sundays to Fridays and between 2100 hours and 0900 hours (on the following day) on Saturdays and the day before a Public Holiday. Reason: In the interests of the amenities of the locality and occupiers of adjoining property.
6 No amplified sound or live music shall be played either within or without the premises nor shall loudspeakers be fixed at any time outside the building. Reason: In the interests of the amenities of the locality and occupiers of adjoining property.
7 No cooking equipment, such as deep fat fryers or griddles, requiring extraction plant or flue shall be brought into use at the site Reason: In the interests of the amenities of the locality and occupiers of adjoining property.
8 No externally mounted plant or equipment for heating, cooling or ventilation purposes, nor grilles, ducts, vents for similar internal equipment, shall be fitted to the building unless full details thereof have first been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority, and once installed such plant or equipment should not be altered. Reason: In the interests of the amenities of the locality and occupiers of adjoining property.
9 Within 28 days of the date of this permission a suitable receptacle for the disposal of litter shall be provided in accordance with details to be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. Reason: In the interests of the amenities of the locality and occupiers of adjoining property.
10 Within 28 days of the date of this permission a Flood Plan, including a detailed evacuation procedure and safe exit routes to land within Flood Zone 1 in the event of flooding, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority Reason: To ensure safe evacuation procedures are in place in the event of flooding.
I have attended the Bamboo shisha lounge with several of my Doctor colleagues on a few occasions.
I am very familiar with the premises and locality, as we considered the site as a surgery a few years ago.
The shisha lounge owner has done a great justice to the site, as it was used as a drug and waste site, with heroin needles and household rubbish.
I will be lending my support along with others to support this brave business that has obviously cleaned up the area in line with Ecclesall Road.
Moreover, there are several sites in the vicinity that serve alcohol drinks after 9pm,upto 12:30am outside their premises; the most recent being The Pointing Dog.
Jonathan,
The Bamboo Lounge has continued to operate outside it’s permissions which is why the council is taking enforcement action. Regrettably for the local community, the Pointing Dog has permission to open until 12.30am due to a members club historic loophole.
Green councillors consistently support the local people who are impacted by any business that consistently opens beyond the permitted times that they agreed to when seeking permission from the council to open.
Eamonn
“Green councillors consistently support the local people who are impacted by any business …….”
It is regretful that you have not made any reference to the amount of work put into the cleaning up of the site or given any recognition, which was a disgraceful sight as one came onto Ecclesall Road.
Surely, as a Green Councillor this would have been one of the first things you should have supported and mentioned on your website.
Has the clean up not made a huge difference to Ecclesall Road?
Jonathan,
I am not a councillor but work with Broomhill ward councillors. As mentioned in the article I sat behind the applicants in the planning meeting where they were asked if they would adhere to the planning conditions which included closing at 9pm. They said yes and immediately opened later. This overrides any benefit to the area from cleaning up the site. If that clean up work is done to run a business well past it’s permitted hours I can’t give any credit. The council has to spend time and taxpayers money on enforcement. And local people have to monitor the premises and keep detailed diaries at night to gather evidence for that to happen. None of this is needed if the premises keep to the conditioned hours and act as good neighbours.
Oh dear does this mean that I cannot open an outdoor restaurant there then? no heating? no grills? and early closing times?very disappointing. I really don’t see how neighbours are affected really? there are pubs down that whole street playing loud music…