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A bid to open a microbar in a residential part of Preston has been knocked back over noise concerns.
The venture – which was also to include a cafe – had been proposed for a former betting shop at the junction of Watling Street Road and Langcliffe Road in Brookfield. Had it been approved, the business would have operated until midnight every night of the week.
However, Preston City Council planning officers refused to grant planning permission after concluding that the proposal would be “inappropriate” for the area.
Although the premises is located close to a block of shops, the location was deemed to be “generally quiet” – and the authority was not satisfied that suitable measures had been proposed to protect nearby households from the noise that could be generated by the bar’s customers. An objection to the plans was lodged by a local resident who raised the same issue.
A report outlining the reasons for the refusal of the application said that the “close proximity” of the site to residential properties risked subjecting the people living there to “undue noise levels…and disturbance late at night”.
A noise assessment submitted by the applicant, Preston-based Sapphire Properties, suggested “suitably-worded conditions” could be attached to any permission in order to prevent problems occurring.
However, town hall planners said no consideration had been given to “customer noise whilst…within the premises; vehicles attending the property to pick up or drop off customers or park on nearby streets outside residential properties; noise from potential antisocial behaviour associated with alcohol consumption; [and] the escape of noise from the building when doors are opened to allow access or egress”.
The retail unit – previously occupied by a branch of Betfred – has been empty for almost two years.
