Council business advisers object to new cafe proposal on Sleaford business park

Russ Pryor, boss of fire safety and health and safety training company Arion on Lions Way, is seeking permission from North Kesteven District Council to build a cafe on a 228sq m plot of nearby redundant land.

The site is next to The Willows, run by Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust, and just across the road from Kirks Vets and Tool Station.

It would feature kitchen with serving counter, indoor and outdoor seating, toilets and provision for four parking spaces and a bike rack.

The plans state it would be made from steel and sympathetic cladding, with more than 40 per cent glass walls for a “non-industrial look” surrounded on two sides by trees, shrubs and pot plants.

Opening hours proposed would be seven days a week with Monday to Friday open 7am until midnight, Saturday 8am until midnight and Sunday 8am to 5.30pm.

There are no other food outlets close by apart from the Agra Indian restaurant on East Road, with most of the surrounding land taken up by office units.

NKDC’s Economic Development team has objected 
to the proposal saying that the designated industrial area needs to be protected for employment purposes and the proposed café falls outside the classes of business use prescribed for the site.

They state: “Whilst there are some instances of smaller eateries within employment areas designed to serve the needs of the local workforce, the scale and hours of opening of the proposed operation would appear to go well beyond this, such that it would be an attraction in its own right, both to local residents and, potentially, passing trade along the A17.”

They say planning policies seek to direct uses such as cafes and restaurants into town or district centres to ensure their vitality and viability as well as securing sustainable patterns of travel.