JERICHO ECHO ARTICLE
May 1997
A wall has finally appeared, to protect Juxon Street from flows of garbage. And a new quieter extractor should be installed soon. But the main problem remains the use of the back garden. Lucinda leech of Walton Street presented the residents' case at a planning committee meeting. She offered video evidence of staff crossing the garden 40 times an hour as they made their way from the basement (where cold food is prepared) to the kitchen. Every time the basement door opens there is a rapid burst of noise. The basic problem is the scale of operations. M. Blanc took over planning permission from a more modest pizza restaurant site but found himself short of space, so he extended food preparation to the basement that previously had been intended only for storage. Councillors said that if M. Blanc had been the original applicant the application would have been addressed much more critically. Residents have shown them selves willing to co-operate with the restaurant - they have not objected to the restaurant's opening hours being ex tended so that diners can leave up to 12.15 a.m. Councillors commended residents for their positive approach and the way in which they presented their case. One solution to the back garden problem would be to reduce the number of diners so all food preparation could be done in the kitchen. The restaurant ob jects to this. Another option would be to increase the size of the restaurant build ing. The residents would object to this. Alternatives include building an 'acoustic lobby' around the basement door or a covered passageway across the garden. What this saga has demonstrated is the limited powers of the local authority to keep businesses within planning regulations. Developers only have to appeal against decisions, or procrastinate, to proceed for a long time with impunity. Even councillors seem surprised at their limited scope for action, and the time involved. At present the residents are negotiating directly to try to reach a compromise.