A cafe in a designated National Landscape village has been given the green light to welcome up to 1,250 diners a year at its evening supper clubs.
The Dogh deli and café in Welburn will be allowed to increase its bistro-style events for up to 25 people from ten to 50 annually.
At the planning meeting, Cllr Caroline Goodrick, who represents the village, said she still had concerns over the proposal causing parking issues for the neighbouring residential properties.
However, as double yellow lines were due to be brought in this summer on the road outside the business, she said it would be incumbent on Dogh to ensure customers do not park on the service road.
Coun Goodrick said: “Reluctantly, and it is very reluctantly because I’m not sure this is the right thing for the village, I will move approval, but I am still unhappy with it.
“I will watch what happens in the next few months because I am still uncomfortable with it.”
The decision followed an unusual objection from the managers of the Howardian Hills National Landscape, stating a rise in the evening events would be too damaging for the designated area.
The body had stated 50 supper clubs annually would “inevitably impact further on the tranquillity of the village, residential amenity of existing and neighbouring occupiers, rural village character, noise levels and quality of evening dark skies…”
‘Unpopular with many residents’
Objecting to the scheme, a resident told the committee the proposal remained unpopular with many Welburn residents, despite the owners’ claims that the supper clubs were needed, following the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, to make the cafe viable and protect jobs.
He said: “The balance of comments submitted by villagers suggests that the 500 per cent increase in late openings is not what people who live here wish to see.”
However, the committee heard all the supper events would be held indoors, external lighting restricted and that food orders would stop at 9pm to ensure diners had left by 10.30pm.
In response to residents’ concerns, a Dogh director said it had been agreed to not accept deliveries before 6am, but warned some restrictions on deliveries could have “a catastrophic effect on our ability to run the business”.
He said customers parking on the main street to the attend the bistro events should not cause “too much disruption” as daytime visitors to the village would have left beforehand.
The meeting heard Dogh would work to ensure its customers did not cause any issues for its neighbours through inappropriate parking.