The owner of a seafront fish and chip restaurant in Burnham-On-Sea says he is “very disappointed” that his plans for a new ice cream kiosk have been given a thumbs-down by town councillors.
The council’s Planning Applications Committee considered a bid by the owner of The Esplanade Fish Bar last week to site the ice cream kiosk on the forecourt outside the premises from March to October.
However, councillors said the kiosk would be ‘out of keeping’ with the surrounding street scene and would impact the ‘visual amenity’. They have lodged an objection against the plans.
But Mike Bond, owner of the The Esplanade Fish Bar, said: “I’m very unhappy and disappointed by this move by the council – it does seem as though they are happy to stand in the way of improvements.”
“We have spent a huge amount of money improving this building from its former use as the Old Customs House, right, and want to continue to improve the facilities.”
“The council should also know that if the kiosk plans are rejected, we won’t be employing three extra seasonal staff this year – two full-time and one part-time over the summer.”
His comments come after a Town Council committee meeting last week where the objection was lodged. Cllr Paul Young said: “This kiosk would definitely not help the appearance of that section of the seafront at all – it would be detrimental to the overall street scene.”
There was also one objection from a seafront resident regarding the proposals. The plans which will be further considered by Sedgemoor District Council for a final decision in coming weeks.
Pictured: Top, the current fish and chip bar where the proposed ice cream kiosk would be sited and, above, how the former Old Customs House used to look – complete with an ice cream kiosk!
