Bar appeal after permission to open rejected

The venue opened on York Road last year without having permission

A planning appeal has been lodged after a town centre bar was refused permission to operate.

Coffee bar and live music venue The Intro opened in York Road, Hartlepool, last October despite planning permission not being in place, after moving from the town's marina.

An application from Ashley Johns at Team Tilly Leisure for retrospective permission was heard Hartlepool Borough Council's planning committee in November, but was turned down.

However, an appeal has now been lodged, with the leisure firm's representative claiming it had "worked tirelessly" to meet legal requirements.

The proposals had been recommended for approval by planning officers who said there would not be "significant negative impact" on neighbours or waste management concerns from the development.

However, the application was unanimously rejected by councillors who said the bar could be noisy and lead to disturbances.

They also ruled the venue could lead to "a potential increase in crime and fear of crime".

'No fire safety concerns'

A final decision on the bar's fate will be made by the national Planning Inspectorate, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The leisure firm's planning agent ASP Services Ltd said the appeal was being submitted on the grounds the bar would not cause "detrimental effect to the area or any health and safety issues for its proposed use".

"It should have been granted permission to prevent the property from becoming damaged through being left vacant," a statement said.

The agent also said a fire assessment had been carried out and there were "no major concerns".