New bid for restaurant extension

Planning officers have advised that the application for a 12-month temporary extension, which will be decided today should be approved to give Sheffield Council chance to monitor the effects of the later opening hours.

When The Walnut Club first applied for planning permission to open the restaurant near Hunters Bar it requested a closing time of 2am, which was refused. It was instead told that the venue, which lies close to a number of homes including sheltered accommodation for the elderly, would have to close at 11.30pm each night.

Undeterred, however, The Walnut Club applied to extend its opening hours to 2am in October 2008 and to 1.30am in August 2009.

Both of those applications were refused on the basis of potential disturbance to neighbours.

In November last year the restaurant was then granted permission to open until 12.30am for a trial period of six months, which has now expired.

The latest planning application has been met with opposition from numerous neighbours, as well as Sheffield Council leader Paul Scriven.

He said: "Directly across from the Walnut Club is Carmel Court, an elderly persons sheltered accommodation. Opening until 12.30am will cause disamenity to the 12 elderly people living in Carmel Court."

Twenty-eight neighbours have written letters to Sheffield Council objecting to the application, mainly on the grounds of noise.

Others claimed the later opening hours could create more traffic and could set a precedent for other bars and restaurants.

One objector said: "Seeking a further 12 months is just a back door way of getting it permanent, which will be followed by another application until 1.30am."

Another opponent said: "If this application is granted, other establishments would no doubt seek similar extensions, creating an unmanageable and intolerable situation." In a report set to go before councillors today, Sheffield Council's planning officers say that the main concern is not noise from within The Walnut Club, but disturbance from customers leaving in the early hours.

Several restaurants and bars in Ecclesall Road, including Felicini, Nonna's and the Porter Brook, have applied to extend their hours and have been turned down, by both the planning board and by an inspector on appeal, on the grounds of potential disturbance.

However, the planners' report says The Walnut Club is different as it doesn't have an outside seating area.

It says: "From the surveillance carried out by officers during the six-month trial, it has not been clear that disamenity would be caused by extending the hours until 12.30am.

"However, the monitoring took place over the winter months, when it has been cold and often raining, and when the premises was operating at far from capacity in a difficult economic climate.

"For this reason, officers consider that the monitoring period has not been particularly reflective of typical levels of noise and activity at the venue."

The planners say that "further monitoring" needs to take place over the summer to assess the impact of the 12.30am closing time.

The report says: "It is recommended that variation of the permitted opening hours for a temporary period is granted, to allow for further monitoring and a better understanding of the typical impacts."

Today's planning meeting begins at Sheffield Town Hall at 2pm.