Scarborough’s Watermark Café will be allowed to expand its seating area and erect beach hut pods following the approval of plans.
North Yorkshire Council has approved an expansion of the seafront café’s premises on Royal Albert Drive.
Owners said the extra seating area is necessary because it does not currently have enough space due to its popularity.
The ‘beach hut’-style pods will make the use of the outdoor area less weather dependent, according to plans, which state that the Watermark is “well used throughout the year by locals and visitors”.
The eight covered seating pods will be in addition to other new “loose benches and table seating”.
The café said it will also put up a unit serving tea, coffee, and ice creams to “minimise the crossing of staff from the cafe”.
The proposed huts would have bench seating and roll shutter systems for closing and securing the units when not in use and the colours will reflect those of the cafe.
Planning officers said that a planning condition would be attached to ensure the palette of colours on the huts would match those of the existing building.
The application received no objections from the Highway Authority or the Environment Agency and no comments were received from members of the public.
Currently, the external seating area adjacent to the café is separated by a public footpath.
The land has been leased from the council and is bounded by a low fence with a mixed surface with paving and artificial grass with benches and table seating.
A council report said that the footpath running through the site “is not a definitive public right of way” but it has been freely used for more than 20 years based on historic aerial photographs and maps.
According to planning officers, the path could be claimed – in a separate process – as a formal public right of way if it could be proven by a member of the public that it has been used without interruption for 20 years.
However, the council has instructed the applicant, Steven Johnson, that the path should remain unobstructed during and after construction works.
North Yorkshire Council approved the application, subject to conditions, on Tuesday, July 23.
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