THE VALE Council is set to approve a planning application to transform the former Sadler’s Fishmongers into a tea rooms and bistro.

The plans for the bistro, set to be named the Pheasantry, also include a new shop front and signage. The bistro and tea rooms, run by husband and wife Ken and Janice Holland-Hannen, are hoping to open on Monday, September 8.

Janice Holland-Hannen said that surrounding businesses had given their support to the planning application as they believed it would boost trade in the town centre.

The proposals came under fire from Penarth councillors earlier this year when they raised concerns about the “over preponderance” of restaurants and cafes in the town centre and questioned whether the shop front was in keeping with surrounding establishments.

Local residents also wrote a number of letters in opposition to the plans.

The main concerns included the number of tea rooms in the area (23), late night noise and disturbance, smell nuisance and refuse disposal.

Despite the concerns from local councillors and residents the application is set to be approved with a number of conditions at the Vale Council Civic Offices.

A report set to go before the Vale Council’s planning committee tonight, September 4, allays many of the concerns raised by those opposed to the planning application.

It states that there is in fact a 61 per cent majority of retail shops, classed as A1, in the area compared to restaurants and cafes, classed as A3, and as such there would still be a higher percentage of retail shops in the town centre if the application was approved.

The report added that “the impact of the proposal on the vitality and viability of the retail centre would not be so significant it would justify a refusal on such grounds.”

In regards to the shop front and roller shutter planning application, the original submission was deemed “unacceptable” as it “paid little regard to the context of the site within the Conservation Area”, but a revised scheme with a more “traditional approach” and “with the retention of a number of the original features” has been approved.

In regards to noise nuisance a number of conditions have been imposed to ensure this can be mitigated.

These include sound insulation, insulating the basement/staff area at the rear to reduce the risk of noise breakout, restrictions in relation to the opening of the sliding windows on the front elevation, plus the requirement for a sound test to be undertaken by an acoustician following implementation.

The bistro’s entertainment is also limited to background music, with the premises “not be used for singing, dancing, or the playing of any kind of music or other forms of public entertainment”.

Opening hours are also restricted to 9am and 10.30m Monday to Friday, 9am until 10.45pm on Saturday’s, and 9am until 10.30pm on Sunday’s. Staff are also not to use the premises after 11pm or before 7am on weekdays and 8am on weekends. The report notes that although Foxy’s Deli has to close earlier, at 8pm from Monday to Saturday and 6pm Sunday’s, the council could only consider each application on its own merits.

The matter will be considered by the Vale Council’s planning committee on Thursday, September 4, at 6pm.