A new bistro in a Nottinghamshire village plans to sell alcohol until 11pm but is facing opposition from neighbours worried about parking and noise problems.
Owner James Aspell is planning to open Le Petit Vert on Main Street in Farnsfield in September. The business will be a French-style all-day cafe and bistro serving “tasty vegetarian and plant-based brunch, pastries and cakes”.
Mr Aspell has applied to Newark and Sherwood District Council to sell alcohol at the venue from 9am to 11pm seven days a week. A decision on the plans will be made in a licensing hearing at the council on Thursday (June 8).
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Three residents, one local business and Farnsfield Parish Council have raised concerns over “excessive noise” and car parking issues. The applicant said they will soundproof the building throughout and put up signs asking people to leave quietly.
Mr Aspell added that the venue’s actual opening hours will be Wednesday and Thursday 9am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 9am to 11pm and Sundays 10am to 4pm, adding he applied for seven days a week in case an occasion such as Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve fell on a Monday or Tuesday.
The applicant also asked the premises could open for one extra hour on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of a Bank Holiday weekend and until 1am on New Year’s Day morning. The venue hopes to offer pop-up food nights, cheese and wine evenings and baby and toddler mornings.
But one resident wrote in a statement as part of the council application process that the plans would cause “public nuisance”. They wrote that serving alcohol until 11pm would “undoubtedly cause noise pollution for the residents”.
They added: “Once fuelled with alcohol they do not realise how loud they talk and laugh. In a quiet environment, which this generally is, the sound can multiply.
They added: “It is unfair that residents should have to put up with this and the subsequent noise it will create. There are already eight licensing premises in Farnsfield and there is no need for another.”
They raised concern that the venue does not have a car park and added Farnsfield already has “constant problems with parking”. George Rhodes, of C G Rhodes and Sons Limited, based on the same street as the venue, also submitted an objection.
They wrote that if the application is approved, it would lead to “irresponsible parking”.
Farnsfield Parish Council added: “As the premises is surrounded by residential properties, the Council is concerned that music and social noise will cause the neighbours distress, and the comfort within their own property will be diminished. This will be exacerbated in the evenings where patrons could be intoxicated, smoking outside, and exiting the property at a time when the village is naturally quiet.”
The applicant responded: “The style of venue we intend to operate will only warrant low-level background music and would certainly not be audible from the venue. We do not intend to have live music, DJs and the like.”
On the issue of car parking, the applicant added that from his own experience, he has not struggled to park at the venue over the last year of visiting the premises.
He added: “We will encourage staff to travel by foot, bike or public transport and if they must drive, to park away from Main Street. We will encourage customers to travel by foot, bike or public transport through our social media channels.
“We will implement a reward scheme by which customers will earn a stamp if they travel by one of these means and once they obtain a certain level of stamps they will earn a free coffee or cake.”
Newark and Sherwood District Council will decide the application on Thursday (June 8).
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