City council gets ready to fight Norwich bar appeal

Norwich City Council has agreed to write to a planning inspector giving the reasons why it turned down permission for a former shop to become a bar.

An appeal has been launched against the planning committee's decision last summer to refuse permission for Norwich-based Global Binding Engineers to transform the former Country and Eastern shop in Redwell Street.

City Hall officers had recommended the council's planning committee grant permission, but at a meeting last August the committee went against that advice to turn down the scheme.

A number of reasons were given for refusal. One was that the building is in a conservation area and a bar would change the character of an area predominantly made up of offices and homes, with little night-time activity.

Councillors also raised concerns that the lack of a smoking shelter would see people gathering outside the venue, to the detriment of people living nearby and compromising highway safety.

They were also unhappy over arrangements for bins, servicing and access, while they said they did not have enough information to make a judgment on soundproofing.

The council's planning committee agreed on Thursday to submit a statement of case to the planning inspectorate.

The planning inspector will make a decision after studying the written submissions of both parties involved.