An events venue is under threat after planners claim its continued use will result in “uncontrolled parking of vehicles and coaches” on a private access road fronting the A142.
Rose Barn on Ely Road, Sutton, describes itself as a “hidden gem tucked away along the A142” with “rattan furniture and beautiful gardens” where guests can relax.
But now it has fallen foul of East Cambridgeshire District Council whose planning committee next Wednesday will be asked to refuse a retrospective application for part change of use to an events venue.
The venue is at Sib Bibby’s turf and landscape gardening business and for the past year or so has been run as a separate business – it has catered for around 20 weddings and parties.
Witcham Parish Council supports refusal, mainly on traffic grounds and their fears that the site provides inadequate provision for parking for a venue for 100 people and staff. The parish council says on site parking can only cope with 25 vehicles.
County highways also say parking is an issue and manoeuvring is a concern.
“The proposed development would intensify the use of existing accesses,” says the highways officer who inspected the site.
However environmental health says there have been no complaints about use of the site for events.
Neighbours told the council of their concerns over noise, “unacceptable use of fireworks”, and a local kennels owner says the background music and outside cooking “will inevitably lead to dogs’ senses being raised and distress to an unacceptable level resulting in barking, consequent disruption and detraction from residential amenity”.
A planning officer’s report to councillors says that “on its own the fact that neighbouring occupiers have not made any specific complaints is not sufficient to indicate there is no impact”.
Stacked against giving consent, says the planning officer, is the fact the events use is entirely separate from the landscaping business and does not constitute an extension to that.
“This attracts some weight against the proposal,” says the report.
The officer also says the applicant has failed to demonstrate that sufficient parking can be made within the site and safe access achieved.
In conclusion the report says: “The proposal may give rise to some limited employment benefits and from the number of events held there appears to be a demand for such venues. The benefits would not however outweigh the adverse effects and on balance the application is recommended for refusal.”
Rose Barn’s agent Don Proctor says events held so far show there is “more than sufficient parking”.
Mr Proctor has also promised limit to late music and says neighbours are some distance from the site “with intervening screen fencing, planting, outbuildings and other structures”.
The planning committee will meet in St Mary’s Church Hall, St Mary’s Street, Ely, at 2pm.
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