Café Velo Planning Reprieve Welcomed by Cllr Denis Healy

Café Velo, Beverley’s popular themed cycling café in North Bar Within, has been granted a reprieve by planning officers, who just a few weeks ago were recommending that planning permission should be refused; a move which would have led to the closure of the thriving business.

At the Council’s Eastern Area Planning Committee, in June, Café Velo, which had been operating without planning permission for a change of use from retail to restaurant for 12 months, was faced with a recommendation from Council Officers for refused planning permission because certain paperwork wasn’t in order, and there had also been complaints about noise disturbance from local residents.

However, the planning committee, with support from local ward councillor, Denis Healy, overruled officers and deferred the decision to allow time for the correct paperwork to be drawn up, and noise complaints fully investigated.

Next week, the case comes back before the planning committee, this time with a recommendation from officers to allow planning permission, and securing Café Velo’s future.

Cllr Denis Healy said:

“I originally referred this case to the Eastern Area Planning Committee 9 months ago to allow a full and fair hearing from local residents and others. There were huge concerns over the summer, about the future of this popular café which is an asset to the town, and there have been well over 200 letters of support from people who use the café, and who were very worried that it might have to close. There was also a small number of local residents who were objecting because of noise nuisance, and their voices deserved to be heard too.

“The planning decision that officers are now recommending to the Planning Committee provides the ideal solution. Café Velo gets its planning permission and can continue in business. There is also a planning condition that the cafe will need to close at 11pm each evening and restrict its evening live music events to no more than 24 in a year. The live music will also take place at the front of the café, away from the residential neighbours.

“I am pleased that planning officers have now found a compromise solution by listening to both the neighbours and the hundreds of people who recognise the unique character of this innovative little business. It is precisely the kind of independent business that we want in Beverley, and I am hoping that everyone is going to be happy, and that the Planning Committee will support the new recommendation when it is discussed next Monday.”