Residents slam plans for ‘sophisticated, upmarket’ bistro over noise concerns
Plans for a new bistro in a Rotherham village have been met with objections from residents and the area’s parish council.
Plans have been lodged to open a new venue on Braithwell Road in Ravenfield called The Longbar, which will run as a cafe during the day and wine bar/bistro in the evening, with seating for 38 customers.
The applicant has applied to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) for a premises licence to sell alcohol, with proposed closing times of 11.30pm on Saturdays and 1.30am on New Year’s Eve.
Applicant David Marshall says The Longbar will operate as a ‘classy, sophisticated establishment’, and will be used as a café during the day and transition into an upscale bistro in the evening.
The venue is not intended for people seeking to get drunk, says the application, and the pricing will reflect this intention.
Mr Marshall intends to run a ‘small, sophisticated bistro, a place where people will want to dress up to visit and enjoy a classy upmarket environment’.
He adds that the venue will be double-glazed, with entry through a two-door system to minimize noise. To manage the number of patrons outdoors, Mr Marshall proposes restricting groups of smokers to just two people at a time, and drinking will not be permitted outside the venue.
Residents living near the proposed site, including some elderly people in a row of bungalows, have voiced concerns about potential noise disturbances.
Three residents have objected, as well as Ravenfield Parish Council, raising concerns that car doors slamming, taxi arrivals, and loud conversations, could disrupt their quiet evenings. Some residents are also worried about groups of customers congregating outside to smoke late at night.
Ravenfield Parish Council objected to the plans on the grounds of insufficient parking, a potential increase in traffic, noise and disturbance, and the proximity of the site to other pubs.
Mr Marshall says in the application, that the venue’s proximity to a fish and chip shop and a supermarket, which open in the evenings already, make it less likely that his venue will cause significant disruption.
He adds that the venue is sufficiently distant from the nearest residences, with a car park, grassed area, trees, and a busy main road acting as buffers, although residents argue that the noise may carry.
The application will be heard by RMBC’s licensing sub-committee at its next meeting on November 21.