Application to close Crown Street and use it as a pub 'beer garden' stumbles - but Paten and Co owner Michael Thurlby will not give up

An application to use a road as a 'beer garden' has been refused - but the pub owner behind the plan isn't giving up.

Michael Thurlby, owner of Paten and Co, which looks out onto Stamford's Red Lion Square, had applied to Lincolnshire County Council to close Crown Street in the afternoons and evenings to allow more people to sit outside the pub.

The council recently made it easier for licensed premises to apply for 'pavement licences' to entice back customers without packing pubs while social distancing is important.

However, an application submitted on Wednesday last week (July 15) to put 10 tables in a closed-off Crown Street was turned down this week.

Michael's wife, Sophie, said the rejection was based on the number of tables and chairs they had asked for, and that a resubmission with a reduced number would be made today (Friday, July 24).

She said: "We set out the tables and chairs - along with flowers in planters and temporary railings - to photograph them and show what it would look like.

"A few people did come to sit down while they were waiting for tables outside the front of the pub to become free, but we won't be putting the seating out again until we have an application approved."

The application will include tables outside the pub front, as well as those in Crown Street, an environment the Thurlbys say they would like to improve with flowers in planters and hanging baskets.

Owner of the Model Fish Bar in Broad Street, Antal Csakvari, said he liked the idea of outdoor seating in principle, but in practice the tables being set up last night had "caused chaos".

"People were having to reverse vehicles out of the top of Crown Street and Red Lion Street was much busier because of Crown Street being blocked off. With people reversing, we saw three near-misses in an hour.

He added that because of Covid-19, Model's customers are having to wait outside, and with what was happening last night it seemed less safe for them.

"We like the idea of bringing a bit of life to this area, but we don't feel there has been enough communication about this," he said. "You can't just close a public road and say 'that's it'.

"If we all work together, we can get a good plan together. That could make this a totally different story."

Coun Richard Davies, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: "Paten and Co does not currently have a new pavement licence, but we are working with the business to look at all options that would allow them to use more outdoor space for seating, including the potential part-time pedestrianisation of Crown Street."

As well as posting a notice of the application outside the premises to enable people to respond, people can also e-mail views to cafelicence@lincolnshire.gov.uk

Responses should be submitted to Lincolnshire County Council within five days of the application being submitted.

Earlier this month, Michael Thurlby called for businesses to 'do their bit' to help boost the local economy after coronavirus closed pubs, shops and attractions for months.

He suggested pubs and restaurants needed to adopt a continental-style 'café culture' with more outdoor seating, which would make local towns more attractive to visitors. Read the full article here.