Ryton café built without permission could be demolished

A café which was built without planning permission during the Covid pandemic could face demolition, a council said.

Fed & Watered, which is part of Jack and Jo's Plant Nursery, on Stella Road, Ryton, is facing enforcement action by Gateshead Council.

Retrospective planning permission was submitted but rejected, over traffic and environmental concerns, in May.

An online petition calling for a reversal has since received more than 2,500 signatures.

The venue, which describes itself as a "local family-run community café" and dog-friendly, opened to the public in 2021.

However, the council said its owners did not have permission and had previously refused plans for a similar scheme.

But café owner Joanne Stanton said it had become a community hub and it helped "with the scouts, schools, and loads of children from lots of different areas".

She said she did not understand the decision and an appeal has been lodged as the cafe remains open.

The site has since offered work placements to young people with mental health problems, while some locals oppose the council's refusal, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Resident Linda Bullows said the site used to be a scrapyard and had been "made into a lovely place".

"The staff here are lovely, they are all different age groups, and if it goes those people are going to lose their jobs," she said.

The council said it taken "enforcement action" for the buildings and associated structures to be removed.

A spokesperson said: "The planning committee considered the revised application and held a site visit and listened to the applicants' case, but considered the development to have an unacceptable impact on the green belt and also had significant concerns about highway safety."

"We're always keen to support businesses where we can, and officers did work with the applicant to try to find solutions to the planning concerns, but in this case, the location was not considered suitable".

"As those decisions have been appealed, we will not comment on that matter further at this stage."

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