Wetherspoons Denied

Amber valley Borough Council have refused a Planning Application by JD Wetherspoon to turn the former Bugsy’s on Strutt Street into a pub with an outdoor smoking and drinking area.

In the notice of refusal the Council says:

“The proposal for a public house is sited within close proximity of neighbouring residential properties on Cheapside. The public house incorporates an outdoor beer garden and smoking area, which is directly opposite from nearby residential dwellings and is proposed to be open until late evening hours. The application has failed to demonstrate that the opening hours and use of the outdoor beer garden, to which this application seeks to extend from that approved previously by the Council, would not have an adverse impact upon the living conditions of adjacent residential occupiers by way of noise and disturbance and an adverse impact upon quality of life. The proposal is as such contrary to one of the Core Planning Principles of the National Planning Policy Framework, which seeks to secure a high standard of amenity for all existing and future occupiers of land and buildings and to policy TC8 of the Amber Valley Borough Local Plan 2006, which states that permission will be granted for Drinking Establishments where it will not adversely affect the amenity of nearby residents.”

Signet Planning on behalf of JD Wetherspoon have been asked to comment but, to date, have failed to do so.

By David George