Plan for a permanent cafe in Doncaster beauty spot withdrawn

The applicants, listed only as Mr and Mrs Lee, applied to the council for the continuation of their temporary takeaway cafe to a permanent one including the creation of an outdoor/indoor seating area and toilets close to the M18 footbridge near Loversall.

Doncaster Council planners, who recommended to councillors they should reject the proposal before it was withdrawn, received 17 letters of support from residents backing the application.

Planners said the cafe in its current guise was an ‘inappropriate development in the Green Belt without very special circumstances’ to justify approval.

The cafe itself was used regularly by residents on walks during the pandemic and subsequent lockdown periods for people.

Those supporting the proposal said it added to the council’s ‘Get Doncaster Moving’ agenda, encouraged more people to get out walking and was good for mental health during lockdown.

But Loversall Parish Council objected to the application and said the site was ‘integral to the ecological area’ and there was ‘no necessity’ for the provision of food and drink.

Lindsay Wilson, parish clerk, said: “There is no public interest to be served by providing more fast food outlets in the local area.

“As well as a Covid 19 pandemic there is an obesity epidemic in this country – the public health message is for more exercise not more cake.”

In a report seen by councillors, a council planning officer Hannah Wilson, said: “The proposal seeks permission to retain an unauthorised change of use of land for a cafe, toilets, prep area, indoor seating and outdoor seating area.

“The proposal is considered to be unacceptable in policy terms being inappropriate development in the Green Belt without very special circumstances as defined by Doncaster’s Unitary Development Plan, Core Strategy and emerging Local Plan.

“In addition, concerns remain in respect to the impact to the amenity, character of the area and is lacking in information to assess the potential harm to ecology from the adjacent wetland habitats and impact on networks with Potteric Carr Reserve.”

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