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Parish Council objects to Village Cafe

By Lisa Reeves - Friday, 14th May, 2010 - 10 comments

villagecafe2

Having taken over the lease at 40 London Road in February, after the building had remained unoccupied for 5-6 months, the Village Cafe has been forced to apply for a change of licence from A1 to A3. 

The Village Cafe occupies the same floor space as its predecessor, the service counter remains the same, as does the kitchen and toilets but Deli Lavelle, the previous occupant of the premises, held an A1 licence which classified it as a sandwich bar.

The Village Cafe have been informed they require an A3 licence which applies to restaurants, pubs, snack bars, cafes, wine bars and shops selling hot food, so they have had to apply retrospectively for a change of use.

Ali Isit, who owns Konak and runs the Village Cafe with his business partner Firat Altindag, said "We had a visit from the council who said we needed to apply for an A3 licence because we have too many tables and chairs for an A1 licence and we can’t cook any food on the premises under the current licence. So at the moment we are just serving sandwiches and hot drinks, anything which requires cooking is prepared over the road at Konak.

“We are pleased with how well the cafe has been received but if we can obtain an A3 licence and permission to add an extraction unit in the kitchen then we will start to offer cooked breakfasts and a lunchtime menu similar to that which is currently available at Konak. This will make the Village Cafe busier and enable us to close Konak at lunchtime, which will be preferable as we are opening a new cafe in Manchester towards the end of July."

According to their application for a licence variation “The proposal involves very little physical change apart from the kitchen extract duct which will discharge above the eaves of the building”. The application also applies for permission to have tables outside.

The application, number 10/0884M, was discussed at this week’s Alderley Edge Parish Council meeting where it was decided that the Parish Council will object to the licence being granted on the grounds that it upsets the retail mix in the village, which they feel should be 60% retail and 40% restaurants/bars.

Share your thoughts via the comment box below. Do you think the Village Cafe should be granted an A3 licence?

10 Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Louise Mason Friday, 14th May, 2010 10:05 am
I really can’t believe this! My blood pressure has just shot up reading this article! The Parish Council are objecting again to a new business in Alderley Edge trying to establish itself and succeed in a recession! The decisions being taken by the Parish Council seem at times to be a touch on madness!

The Village Cafe has turned round a derelict unit on London Road and made it into a thriving business and also a friendly place for the community and visitors to the village to meet for coffee or a bite to eat…. and all that in the middle of an economic depression! When will the Parish Council realise that we need to SUPPORT business in our community FULL STOP! This kind of blinkered decision making does absolutely nothing to help!

While I’m on a roll, I can’t believe that the Licence application for Corks Out to serve wine for consumption on the premises is also being opposed!? Can we start petitions to support both of these Licence applications for the Village Cafe and Corks Out?

I’m going to try and calm down a bit now!
Malcolm McClean Friday, 14th May, 2010 12:30 pm
The 60:40 split between retail and restaurants is laudable but totally unrealistic. A 2005 All Party Parliamentary Group concluded in 2005 that by 2015 few independent retailers would be able to survive on the High Street....one of the reasons cited was the stranglehold of big chains.... ever heard of Tesco?

If you go to places like Freemantle in Australia they make a great virtue of their cosmopolitan cafe culture. It's a USP which brings people into the area and creates an upward spiral of growth and vitality. What our Parish Council seems to want to do is lock us up in some Victorian Temperance movement time warp. Keep on with this small minded behaviour and you will get your 60:40 split.... 60% boarded up.

With our beautiful natural environment and the cafe culture this should be one of the hottest tourist spots in Britain.
Tim Churchill Friday, 14th May, 2010 3:44 pm
My view - for what it's worth - I agree entirely with the previous posters - a 'nice balance' is a great idea - but the scope of retailers who can afford the rent on London Road - £25,000pa plus business rates plus utilities - is extremely limited - we may not like this but it is a fact of life. A normal shop would have to clear £700 per week just to cover their basic costs - before staff. Retail is going online - we're all doing it, for all the right(?) reasons. There are some 'specialists' that can survive - high end wedding/Kitchen/wine/opticians - if you need generalist - there is the Trafford Centre - the world has moved on - for better or worse - what would we prefer in the village - empty shop units - or an additon to the life of the village - I know my where my vote lies...
Graham Hallworth Monday, 17th May, 2010 1:09 pm
I could not agree more with the earlier posts. I know businesses in the village that struggle to take £100 per day and this would not cover rent and rates never mind wages. So a reality check is needed for the Council (Parish and Cheshire East) and for those greedy landlords that have an unrealistic view of current market conditions and the future of retailing in the UK. Come on guys lets not turn Alderley Edge into another dead town full of metal shutters at night.
Michael Morgan Tuesday, 18th May, 2010 3:02 pm
This is simply a case of planning law - not the Council's fault (for once). If they were advised correctly they would have known what use was allowed on the premises and that an A3 licence was required (which I guess they did). This is a relatively straight forward change of use and not really news worthy.
Graham Hallworth Tuesday, 18th May, 2010 3:17 pm
Michael, The issue is the headline "Parish Council objects to Village Cafe". I agree that its just a simple change of use but why are the Parish Council wasting their time on objecting to a simple change of use like this.
Sally Clowes Thursday, 20th May, 2010 11:01 pm
Are we trying to kill this village or keep it thriving, we do not want another Prestbury and please take note and go and look at everything closing down. Does anyone realise how many licences there are in Knutsford, a lot more than Alderley.

The one thing about the Village Cafe is that you can actually go for a casual sandwich lunch and that is what ladies want, as we have to cook in the evening and it would be nice to have a glass of wine if entertaining a friend.

Problem is - bar and grill starters are too small and main courses too large if have to eat again in evening, ditto Gusto.

Can anyone find another place similar to Konak cafe that is licensed - no, so we need something different that will will work.

I know a lot of my friends are within walking distance of the village. The alternative is Wilmslow, but are we trying to keep this village alive, so what difference does it make, just look at Wilmslow and Knutsford and count up licences.
Lisa Reeves Saturday, 29th May, 2010 9:53 am
Firat was delighted to inform me that their application for a variation to their licence was granted yesterday. They are planning to close the Village Cafe for one day in a couple of weeks so the work can be carried out to the kitchen. After which they will be serving English breakfasts and hot food. I know where my husband will be on a Sunday morning! They are still waiting to hear regarding permission for the outside seating area.
Graham Hallworth Saturday, 29th May, 2010 10:14 am
Great news and good luck to the Village Cafe. They do serve nice food and its excellent value for money.
Lisa Reeves Friday, 2nd Jul, 2010 12:58 pm
The Village Cafe have launched their new menu today with the addition of hot food.

The kitchen is now fitted out so they are serving breakfasts as well as a selection of hot meals such as Steak and Chips, Grilled Cajun Chicken and Fish Cakes.
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