A CHAIN of café/bars may have to drop plans for outdoor seating at their forthcoming branch in Ross-on-Wye.

Loungers last month sought a licence for its planned new ‘Canotto Lounge’ in the Maltings shopping centre and fronting onto Broad Street, enabling it to serve alcohol indoors and out till midnight each night, and until 2am on New Year’s Eve.

There were no public objections to this during the consultation period.

But Herefordshire Council’s licensing officers objected to the inclusion of an outdoor seating area on Broad Street comprising seven tables and 18 chairs.

The report states that Loungers has failed to demonstrate how this provision can be operated without adversely impacting upon pedestrian movement, public safety and the prevention of crime and disorder.

The report suggested that this element of the bid should be refused.

Environmental health officers did not object to the scheme, but did seek conditions on noise management, while trading standards asked for further conditions on staff training, door policy including restrictions on unaccompanied under-16s after 8pm, and a prohibition on adult entertainment.

Given these, the bid will be passed to the council’s licensing subcommittee of councillors, who will decide next Monday, August 24, whether to pass the application with or without the requested amendments, or refuse it entirely.

The case comes at a time when the council plans to review how it operates street pavement licensing with a view to making it less onerous on businesses.

Loungers’ two planning applications to Herefordshire Council, covering conversion of the previous Original Factory Shop premises for the installation of air conditioning and new external signage, have also yet to be decided on, despite both target dates for these decisions having passed.

The company behind the project operates more than 300 ‘Lounges’ nationwide and plans to invest £1 million in converting the premises in Ross.