Decision made on plan for former church at Elterwater Common

The decision over the Wayside Pulpit at Elterwater Common went against a planning officer's recommendation for approval.

Members of the Lake District's development control committee expressed concerns about the nature of the proposal, which was put forward by Lanty Slee Liquor Co.

Judith Derbyshire said: "When I was originally reading this, I was reading it more as a café that sold alcohol, but I'm more concerned about it as it now seems to be more alcohol-based, with food as well. 

"To me, a café usually opens up about 10 o'clock and closes at six, and that's what I'm used to. If it's going on till 10 o'clock at night, to me it's more alcohol that's an issue."

Mark Kidd said: "I find the proposal in front of us now as it's come to us unacceptable from my point of view, simply because the change in nature is too much for that location."

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Tiffany Hunt described the plan as 'very different' to that which had initially been envisaged by members. 

"I think if it was just a café with a very small amount of Lanty Slee being sold, we would have all been very happy with it," she said.

She referenced 'the special qualities of this particular landscape and its location' when suggesting the application be rejected.

Jo Nichols, co-founder of Lanty Slee Liquor, had earlier told the meeting that there would have been a 'blur between café and bar' but that the company was 'very much focused on being more of a café than a bar'.

"In the evening, it's more of a restaurant operation with drinks, you know, a late-night café," he said. 

Mr Nichols said: "When we applied for our premises licence, which sustained no objections from any of the licensing authority or related bodies, we only applied for a 10am to 10pm because we didn’t want any disturbance late at night and were aware of a limited amount of street lighting."