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Planning Permission granted for Café Nero

03/07/12 - Planning permission has been given on appeal for Café Nero to continue to operate within Skipton town centre.

A branch of Café Nero opened in Sheep Street, Skipton in early November 2011 despite not having gained planning permission for change of use of business premises from a shop to a café. It's retrospective planning application was refused by Planning Committee on 13 December 2011 because of an adopted Council policy that seeks to ensure 81 per cent of ground floor shops in the town's core retail area should be for retail sales rather than put to other uses such as a café or restaurant. The opening of Café Nero took the number of none retail uses in the town over that threshold.

An enforcement notice was subsequently served by the Council that required the café to cease trading from the ground floor shop premises. 

The owners of Café Nero appealed to the Planning Inspectorate against the enforcement notice.

Chairman of the Planning Committee Richard Welch stated that 'I am very disappointed with this result.  Members of the Planning Committee and the Council's Planning Officers agreed that planning permission should not be given.  The Inspector has decided to grant permission despite the development breaching the Council's adopted policy for protecting retail uses within the town centre'.

In allowing the appeal the Inspector decided that an exception could be made as the use was different to a traditional café.  He stated that no food was cooked at the premises and there was no waitress service.  The Inspector has imposed planning conditions that ensure the business will have to continue to operate in this way.

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