Controversial plans to create a beer garden in the car park next to Wetherspoon’s pub in Keswick look set to be given the go-ahead by planners.
The plan to create a large beer garden for The Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in Bank Street was first put forward in 2018 but residents in neighbouring properties launched a successful campaign against it.
They were backed by Keswick Town Council, which also objected to the open-air plan for the Grade II listed former police station and magistrates court,
The scheme was refused by the Lake District National Park Authority because of noise concerns and fears that it would be visually intrusive.
A subsequent appeal by the pub chain to a planning inspector was dismissed for the same reasons.
But the new application addresses those issues by creating a stone boundary wall topped with a glass balustrade and installing a gate to close off the area when not in use.
The beer garden would be open 9am to 8pm and the overall size reduced, although it would still take up to 108 customers.
The town council has again objected to the latest plan.
It acknowledges the new application is an improvement but the original reasons for refusal remain, which include loss of car parking.
Planning officer Phil Nicholls’s report for the LDNPA’s meeting said that one letter of objection had been received.
It stated a closing time for the beer garden of 6pm would be preferable.
His report says the revised design is an acceptable scheme that preserves the character of Keswick Conservation Area.
