A town centre restaurant says it is under threat of closure if they are forced to remove their alfresco dining area which has been very important to the survival of the business over the recent difficult period.
Sotto restaurant, which opened in April 2018, opened the outdoor dining and dining terrace in May 2021, when Covid restrictions were lifted. The terrace is located on a grassed area at the front of their Wareham Street restaurant, on an area of protected open space.
The Italian and Spanish restaurant were retrospectively granted planning permission for the alfresco dining area with decking and a canopy in April 2022, though the current approval restricts the use of the outdoor area for a period of 18 months, which is due to expire on 22nd October 2023.
Sotto is now seeking consent to change the permission to permanent so they can retain the structure, stating "the development would encourage longevity for the existing business and would have a positive impact on Wilmslow Town Centre."
However, members of the Northern Planning Committee failed to reach a decision at their meeting on Wednesday, 22nd March, but instead referred the decision to a later meeting to enable owners of Sotto had to go away and provide the economic and social case justifying the retention of their outdoor drinking and dining terrace.
Councillor Iain MacFarlane said "Following the retrospective application by Sotto for permanent consent to operate an outside dining area, Cheshire East Council recommended that members of the Northern Planning committee should refuse this request. Their reasons were that this development was 'not considered to comply with the relevant local plan policies which relate to protected open space and the proposed materials would not be appropriate for a permanent structure'."
Ward Councillor David Jefferay had called-in the application to be determined by the Northern Planning Committee and spoke in support of the application.
He said "The bit of grass we're talking about provided minimal value to Wilmslow's residents and it has been used far more since the structure was built than it was before. Therefore, it is my belief that, in this case, the economic and social benefits of the business should outweigh the benefits provided as open space.
"There may only be one resident comment on the portal but this application has attracted widespread and almost universal support amongst residents and on Wilmslow's social media pages, and a petition in support attracted over 1400 signatures.
He added "The objection against this policy appears to be that it will not positively contribute to the character and identity of the area in the future stating:
"This material is not considered to be suitable for a permanent structure. It would not weather well, and would deteriorate rapidly, which will be to the detriment of the character and appearance of the area".
"In this case, we don't need to use imagination to see what the structure will look like. It is built and I would say this design does positively contribute to the character and identity of the area. In fact, as someone born and bred in Wilmslow, I think the structure fits in well and is very, very-Wilmslow. In terms of how quickly it will deteriorate, that is speculation. All structures deteriorate and this is not a cheap gazebo from Ebay, it is a high quality structure with a 10 year guarantee. Most conventional building materials, over time, would also look grotty if not maintained. Being in a highly prominent position, it would not be in the interests of the business owner to allow it to deteriorate because people will stop visiting.
"However, if that is a real concern you have, perhaps explore the possibility of applying a condition that is needs to be maintained in good order.
Councillor Jefferay left the meeting afterwards and did not partake in debate.
Councillor Iain McFarlane added "After a lengthy discussion on the potential lifespan of this translucent plastic screening structure and its position at the northern gateway to Wilmslow the Northern Planning Committee voted to defer a decision until a future meeting when Sotto could provide up to date trading figures on their financial position. The current 18 month approval for this outdoor external area is in place until 22 October 2023."
Comments
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Absolute disgrace not to pass this application.
Have you seen Wilmslow ?
For let signs all over !! How many empty business premises
Dilapidated buildings including Barclays Bank and the entire row from Tesco to Peking Garden.
Even opposite… two public houses closed.
East Cheshire must have ulterior motives and must not want another popular restaurant that would compete against the ever increasing in size of Cibo
How did that planning get through ?
Sotto gives a great first impression of Wilmslow
Outside dining at its best !!
All natural planting outside premises plus the tree cover
The big question is..
Is Cheshire East Planning fit for purpose ??