Decision day for monument cafe plans
LDRSRevised plans for a cafe near a National Trust site are set to go before councillors later.
The proposals, for a site at the foot of Penshaw Hill, near Sunderland, have attracted objections, including from the trust, and are recommended for refusal.
Applicant Green Property Developments Ltd withdrew plans for a pizza cafe at the same site in June 2024 after public opposition.
Its fresh proposals state the single-storey building would be "low-profile" and would create 20 jobs, but council planning officers say the facility is "inappropriate" within the green belt.
The National Trust, which owns Penshaw Monument, has also objected to the new proposals over "impact on the setting" and potential "unacceptable" ecological and traffic effects.
Ten objections were submitted during a public consultation, raising concerns about increased litter and the number of cafes already operating in the area.
Applicants said the building was "designed to be low profile and unobtrusive" and would not affect the number of visitors to Penshaw Monument.
However, council planning officers said the development's "modern appearance" was "out of keeping and wholly incongruous" within a "traditional, sensitive rural setting".
A committee report also stated the application had not provided enough information for ecological impacts to be fully assessed, or an appropriate level of parking.
Council planning officers would have typically made a decision on the application under delegated powers, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
However, it was elevated to the Planning and Highways Committee because of high public interest.
A decision is expected to be made on Monday evening.