A CAFÉ in south Cumbria has been granted permission to serve alcohol until 10pm in a bid to make the business ‘viable’ despite concerns from residents about noise and anti-social behaviour.

Members of the licensing sub-committee for Westmorland and Furness Council granted a premises licence to Rivers and Roads in Milnthorpe for the sale of alcohol from 8am to 10pm and for the café to remain open until 10.30pm.

In response to objections made by residents regarding noise and anti-social behaviour, the council revised the opening hours of the café from the applied for closing time of 11pm to 10.30pm.

Additional conditions were also placed on the premises including the need for signs to be displayed ‘prominently’ on the outside of the premises informing customers not to park on driveways or block the road.

The sub-committee stated: “Although the sub-committee has considered the concerns of residents who had written in or made oral representations, the sub-committee were of the view that the concerns raised did not justify the rejection of the application.”

According to the report prepared for the committee, 19 residents submitted objections to the premises licence application with the council receiving one representation in support of the application.

Local resident Clive Davidson told the committee the residents in the area had been there for ‘years’ without any issues with noise and added the conversion of the building into a licensed premises will ‘affect the wellbeing’ of residents.

Another resident commented in a representation: “The introduction of a bar incorporating live and recorded music in a non-soundproof building would directly and detrimentally affect the local residents in terms of noise, increased traffic and foot flow, anti-social behaviour as well as increased amounts of litter.”

“The introduction of this type of business would only lead to discord and a destruction of what is currently a peaceful, happy and convivial community”, the representation added.

Speaking on behalf of the applicants, Gill Sherratt, head of licensing at Napthens, said the concerns of residents were ‘perfectly understandable’ as it is the fear of the unknown but said labelling the premises as a bar or pub is a ‘gross misrepresentation’.

The committee were told there will not be a bar in the premises and the café will serve beer and wine, which will be stored behind the counter.

Ms Sherratt said: “It’s businesses like this, as our pubs close and we all grieve for that, that are forming themselves in a different way by being multi-purpose that are coming in and providing those facilities for us. They’re replacing what we’re losing because the pubs are closing.

“What is having to happen, it’s not just with on licences it’s with off licences as well, because of the really severe economic times, and we’ve all experienced it, is that businesses are having to become so much more than what they originally were.

“They are a café at the moment but they want to bring in alcohol and events to make their business viable. Just because an alcohol licence has been applied for does not equate to people falling outside drunk.”

Members of the licensing sub-committee granted the premises licence on October 31 at Kendal Town Hall.