Decision on monument cafe plan deferred
LDRSRevised plans for a cafe near a Grade I listed National Trust site have been put on hold to give developers more time to provide information to decision-makers.
The proposals, for a site at the foot of Penshaw Hill, near Sunderland, had attracted objections, including from the trust, and had been recommended for refusal.
Applicant Green Property Developments Ltd withdrew plans for a pizza cafe at the same site in June last year after public opposition.
Its latest proposals said the single-storey building would be "low-profile" and create 20 jobs, but Sunderland City Council planning officers described the facility as "inappropriate" within the green belt.
The trust, which owns Penshaw Monument, has also objected citing "impact on the setting" and potential "unacceptable" ecological and traffic effects.
'Fair crack'
At a meeting on Monday, the local authority's planning and highways committee voted to defer a decision on the application.
Councillor Martin Haswell proposed the move in order to seek clarity on several refusal reasons he said had not been fully answered.
He told the meeting: "I think given the opportunity that this developer wants to feel that they have had a fair crack of the whip and to put some additional detail in.
"I don't think it's unreasonable to offer a deferral so I'm prepared to propose one and if they can't answer the questions at least it can be said that we've heard them."
Council planning officers said a "significant amount of time" had passed since the initial application was received and that even if the majority of refusal reasons were resolved, the principle of development would still be "unacceptable" in the view of the planning department.
It was also noted that if the application was refused, as recommended by council planners, the applicant would have the right of appeal to the Secretary of State.