Shisha bar developers lodge appeal with planning inspectorate

DEVELOPERS pushing a controversial move to open a new shisha bar in Newcastle’s West End are seeking to revive the plans, after seeing them rejected by councillors.

Newcastle City Council refused to grant permission for the first floor of the Tyre City garage in Denton Burn to be transformed into the Billions Lounge in March, amid objections from neighbours who said the area already suffers from “horrendous” parking and “very distressing” noise nuisance.

But the company behind the plans is hoping to get that decision overturned, having lodged an appeal with the Government’s planning inspectorate.

Billions Lounge Newcastle Limited described the venue as a “relaxed meeting area” for the West End’s Middle Eastern, Kurdish, and Turkish population. They had also submitted a second planning application to the council after the first was rejected, offering to bring forward the cafe and shisha bar’s closing time from 1am to 11pm.

The applicant has now also lodged an appeal over that application, on the grounds that the council had not decided whether or not it could go ahead within the statutory eight-week time limit.

Members of the council’s planning committee heard on Friday that the authority had requested a time extension from the developer given the impact of the coronavirus lockdown on civic centre business, but that had been denied.

Benwell and Scotswood ward councillor Rob Higgins told March’s hearing that the proposed Denton Road venue was in “quite simply the wrong location” and would deliver

“no benefits to the local community”.

In its second planning application, the developer said bringing forward the shisha bar’s closing time meant there was now no reason the project could not go ahead.

They added: “The operation of the premises will be wholly compliant with relevant legislation and will add a new type of non-alcoholic social facility for the benefit of the city and at the same time bring back into use an empty building within this local centre and create additional employment in the running of the proposed facility.”