Planning – Application Comments

In view of the EoT and the points made by Ms Pimlott in her response as a consultee, I would like to Add the following comments.
If the application is approved -
opening times of 2PM till 9PM seem reasonable, providing that there is no slippage after21.00. Closing activities, removal of waste and departing the premises should be completed by 21.00. Noise travels and is more noticeble in an area which is currently, totally quiet at this time of the evening.
Ms Pimlott's recommendations re ventilation and extraction should be applied as a precondition to approval. Residents already experience cooking odour from the fish and chip takeaway on four nights a week, but accept that this business existed when they moved in. However, the measures recommended by Ms Pimlott will only be effective if the windows and front and rear doors are kept closed other than for ingress and egress. Door closers would support this. There are no half measures with regard to odour. There is no smell of pizza cooking in the air at the moment, and it should continue to be so.
Ms Pimlott's comments re storage and disposal of refuse appear sensible.
Finally, the potential for noise nuisance and anti-social behaviour is, I believe, the biggest concern for neighboring residents, given what occured in 2004, when a pizza takeaway operated from no. 52. Life became a misery in the evenings as a result of anti-social behaviour caused by groups of youngsters congregating in the car park, particularly in winter when (as it would be again) it was the only outside area in the village to be illuminated (by the shop interior and exterior lighting) Customers would sometimes sit in their cars, in the car park, eating pizza and playing loud music. The LPA has been made fully aware of this history and residents' concerns in all the comments made to date. The authority has a duty to consider these very real concerns, and should approval be granted, robust measures should be attached to address these concerns. If this is not practicable, then the application should be refused.
The clue is in the title of the application - Pizza TAKEAWAY. If the applicant can ensure that customers pick their order up and take it off-site to consume and that anti-social behaviour will not occur in the car park, there will be no need to involve the community and neighbourhood nuisance team.

In view of the EoT and the points made by Ms Pimlott in her response as a consultee, I would like to dd the following comments.
If the application is approved -
opening times of 2PM till 9PM

Historical support for objection:
In 2004, permission was granted for a pizza takeaway at 52 Back Lane with a condition of a closing time of 22.30 hrs.
There were, and are, scant recreational facilities for youngsters in West Winch and the parking area, which was lit by the takeaway in winter, soon became a focus point for groups of youths leading to persistent late evening anti-social behaviour. There was noise from cars pulling into and out of the parking area slamming of car doors and car radios playing late in the evening. There was also a problem with rubbish, both discarded in the general area and thrown into neighboring gardens.
To the great relief of the neighbours, the takeaway closed within a year as it was not viable.

Comments re current application:
The applicant states the following on his application form:

Noise impact - The applicant states that there will be zero noise impact. This may apply to noise generated from the building itself, but past experience tells us that there is a considerable propensity for associated noise, generated by customers visiting the business.

Odour impact - The applicant has given a description of the process for cooking the pizzas but fails to make any mention of anticipated levels of odour. Previous experience suggests that there will be a persistent smell of pizza during opening times which can become cloying and unpleasant after a while and, in summer, impacts on the use of garden amenities and enters open windows. I note that the applicant has already installed the hooded extraction to the rear of the property This hood appears to be no higher than 30cm, unlike the vent from the fish and chip shop which appears to be some two meters high and, therefore, has a greater area for the smell to dissipate.
As mentioned, there is already a fish and chip takeaway which generates odour. This application will serve to increase cooking odours when both businesses are operating. There are five garden and window areas within a few metres the extractor hood.

Transport and highways impact - The applicant states that there is ample parking in front of the four outlets. In actual fact, the most cars that can reasonably park in this area is ten, without obstructing each other. At busy times, visitors to the outlets currently park on the footpath because of the double yellow lines on the road outside.This will only become worse at busy periods. A public footpath also runs through the car park. Presently, to use it at busy times, it is necessary to negotiate a path through parking and reversing cars. This will only become more hazardous with increased vehicle traffic.


With regard to the impact on provision of adequate services - there is currently one food takeaway, one retail outlet (Natural Interiors) a dog grooming parlour and a hairdressers, all long established. If this application is approved, it would adversely change the complexion of services provided and make the area 'top heavy' with takeaways to the detriment of retail service.

It is to be hoped that environmental health will be consulted over this application, with regard to noise disturbance and odour generation.
In conclusion, I believe that approval of this application would result in significant levels of dis-amenity to surrounding residential occupiers.

If the planning commitee should be minded, however, to approve the application, I would ask the following.
The fish and chip takeaway operates a 'tea time' service four days a week and closes at 19.00 hrs. This has always been perfectly acceptable to local residents. After this, the area becomes extremely quiet, so much so, that any noise such as that which would be generated by customers to the pizza takeaway would become amplified. There is no background noise to deaden the impact as there is in town.
The applicant 'proposes' a 21.00 hrs closing time. But this is only a proposal and could change at any time. The approval for 52 Back Lane in April 2004 had a condition attached that it must close at 22.30. This turned out to be too late in terms of noise disturbance. My sense is that, in the case of approval, should a condition be attached limiting opening to 21.00 hours, which the applicant has himself mentioned, and should steps be taken to better reformulate the vent to reduce odour impact, a compromise might be achieved to the benefit of all parties.

Planning application for the change of use to the Natural Interiors shop at 54 Back Lane, West Winch to a pizza shop I find hard to accept. We have already had an experience with a pizza takeaway shop in these shops back when La Mamas was in number 52 Back Lane. To say it was a nightmare was an understatement, the opening hours were until 10 pm, but by the time they had cleared up and finished for the night, it was anything from 11 to 11.30 pm.
It was not a seasonal thing for anti behaviour either, in the summer we would have kids of all ages littering the street with rubbish, playing football in the car park, kicking the ball against fences and bouncing off the buildings, gathering in larger numbers, shouting and swearing constantly and then there were the older kids with mopeds and cars, revving their engines and playing very loud music, even when the shop had closed, sometimes they wouldn't leave until gone midnight on a week day, waking us up in the process. This is unacceptable behaviour in a residential area.
Inadequate parking also, yes granted there maybe 8/10 spaces at a push in the car park, but over half of them are taken up by staff at the shops complex, therefore customers resulting on parking dangerously outside the school and on the paths near the corner or where ever they can find somewhere especially at busy times.
There is a chip shop already in this small block of four shops providing an excellent takeaway service to this village and it causes no problems whatsoever, occasionally it gets really busy and we accept this, but another takeaway shop I feel would unbalance this and cause problems again. Currently there are no problems with anti social behaviour as the chip shop is normally closed, done and gone home before eight o'clock at night.
If people really need a pizza, there are many available within a phone call away and delivered to their door. The pizza shop before was only open for a short while as there was not much custom for that type of takeaway in this village, so I cant see this one being any different. The only thing I can see is a return for the anti social behavior and upset for all concerned.
So please when you make your decision on your planning application bear in mind the trouble it will cause the immediate residents with stress, anxiety, noise disturbance, anti social behaviour, littering and parking issues which will be caused by your decision on this pizza shop. If there hadn't of been a pizza shop there before I wouldn't of objected, but now I know what grief this can cause, so I have to strongly object to the planning application and I hope you take my views very seriously.

Dear Sir...Im writing to point out that I am concerned to the change of Charmed interiors becoming a Pizza Outlet...As I don't fully object to the Pizza Outlet I do have worries that the increased traffic and noise from customers coming and going..The shop next door opened as a Pizza outlet several years ago but closed again for lack of custom .The increase litter of empty used pizza boxs was noticeable too..All I ask is that the New Pizza Outlet have sociable open ours as this is a quiet village location set amongst a housing estate...lunch time openings and teatime openings is acceptable ie very similar to the chip shop ours next door. What we don't wont is increased noise from 10pm 11pm 12pm or even later.
Back Lane ,West Winch is not Norfolk Street Kings Lynn .It would be appreciated if this was taken into consideration when the application is voted on...