A DECISION whether to allow a micro bar to be opened in an empty premises in Skipton has been put on hold after the planning committee reached stalemate.

The application for the micro bar at 9 t o11 Court Lane, Skipton, a former retail premises, had been called in for the committee to discuss by Councillor John Dawson due to concerns with the potential impact to residents.

Speaking against the plans on behalf of the Providence Quarter Management Committee, chartered planning consultant Roger Beck said the plans did not address the impact on residents’ amenity.

“There are concerns for significant noise levels from people leaving (the planned premises), from the bottle bank and compressor.

“Eight letters of objection listing 15 concerns have been lodged,” he said, adding the nearest residential premises to the venue was only 11 metres away in Court Lane.

He added noise would come from deliveries, customers being dropped off and picked up, as well as potential indiscriminate parking.

He also voiced concern that the opening hours on the planning application were different to those on the licence application.

A spokesman for the applicant said the bar was planned to be small and quiet with a bar downstairs and lounge upstairs where people could sit and talk and “get away from the madding crowd”.

“It’s not a nightclub or a rave bar. The noise will be no louder than the tapas bar next door,” he said, adding there would be no compressor noise because the drinks would be cooled by a commercial air conditioning unit.

Councillor Paul Whitaker also voiced concern over the different opening times between the planning and licence application, however he and the committee were reminded they could only determine the application in front of them and not to speculate on any potential future licence breaches.

Councillor Stephen Place said he was concerned for residential amenity through noise and said he could not support the plans.

Councillor Carl Lis added the application did not sufficiently address the concerns and offered few details.

Councillor Chris Rose added: “It is a busy corner of Skipton and there does need to be careful consideration of noise.”

The committee reached stalemate when voting for the plans which had been recommended for approval with chairman Councillor Alan Sutcliffe declining to use his casting vote.

Instead an amendment was proposed and agreed to defer the application while planning officers gained further details from the applicants over the proposed hours of business, details of the cooling equipment and noise mitigation plans.