Morristown gets a new offy in the Daybreak deli

The Daybreak deli in Morristown, Newbridge is to extend its trading to include an off-licence after getting planning permission this week.

Parent company Picnic Café Limited applied in July and got the nod on 10 November after two clarifications to its original application.

There were four local objections, mostly concerning the premises’ proximity to a local primary school (c.200m), congestion fears, and the escalation of anti-social behaviour in the vicinity.

Internally, the Council’s Road Section picked up on this and formally sought a Parking Assessment from the applicant.

With this in mind, plans for a new oven and pizza takeaway which were also applied for within the original application were withdrawn, to just leave the off-licence and their original retail business, adjacent to the existing hairdressers, butchers, bookies, and video store.

Picnic Café Limited argued that because the off-licence was just an addition to an existing business rather than a new, standalone business, it did not materially contravene local zoning.

Also, they argued that the parking at the row of stores was shared, and not a dedicated private parking area, therefore they couldn’t be expected to have “any legal pr practical ability to re-design or materially alter the existing arrangements”.

While they acknowledged the presence of alleged anti-social behaviour in the vicinity, they again argued as it was already in existence it was not within the company’s power to act on it considering the size of material change to their premises.

The firm also acknowledged the localised problem of litter, the put forth a point that this would be better dealt with by better management of the area, control of operating hours and extra external lighting and signage rather than through additional Planning control.

In the final Planner’s Report he deemed the removal of the takeaway and leaving the new off-licence was “acceptable”, and though the applicant felt moves to delineate the parking outside the row of shops was “disproportionate”, their agreement to continues discussing it with the Planners meant “it is not considered reasonable to refuse on this basis”.

The location is accessed of Allen View Heights, off the Diller Road and is in a predominantly residential area.