Readers’ Letters: ‘Perhaps the council could devise a cheaper way to issue pavement licences’‘Tin-eared and ill thought out’: local businesses react to pavement licence fee hikeCouncil approves hike in outdoor seating licence cost for pubs and cafesVenues in Knaresborough and Harrogate apply for pavement licencesMuffin Break cafe coming to Harrogate?

An empty shopping unit in Harrogate town centre looks set to host a Muffin Break cafe.

Notices have appeared in the window of the former Hotter shoe shop on Cambridge Street for a pavement licence application.

The notice says the applicant is FoodCo UK Franchising Ltd, known as Muffin Break bakery cafe.

Muffin Break is a franchise business of FoodCo that originated in Canada and now has about 60 UK outlets. The closest one is in Bradford.

The former Hotter shoe shop

They typically sell muffins, cakes and coffee and also provide breakfasts and light lunches.

The licence application is dated June 9 and says the deadline for comments is June 13 — four days later.

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The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council, which determines licence applications, for further details.

The council displays pavement licence applications on its website here. But a spokeswoman said the Muffin Break application was no longer available because the objection expiry date had passed. She added the licence had been granted.

We tried to contact FoodCo UK Franchising but have not had a reply.

 

Harrogate McDonald’s applies for outdoor tables and chairs

McDonald’s in Harrogate has applied for outdoor seating and tables ahead of hospitality reopening on Monday.

The restaurant on Cambridge Road wants to place seven tables and 28 chairs, plus parasols, outside its premises.

An application for the licence has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council and a consultation period on the proposal will end on Tuesday.

McDonald’s franchises across the country have applied for similar licences to allow customers to sit outside.

Yesterday, Scarborough Borough Council approved a similar proposal submitted by the restaurant for premises in Huntriss Row, Scarborough.

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From Monday, bars and restaurants will be able to serve customers outside as part of further easing of lockdown restrictions.

Several Harrogate bars and cafes have applied to serve customers on pavements outside their venues when they re-open on April 12.

Gron Kafe, Hidden Bar Harrogate and Cold Bath Brewing Co are among those to have applied to the council for pavement licences.

Government legislation last year made it easier to get pavement licences, as part of moves to stimulate the economy after covid.

Planning permission is temporarily waived for the licences and the process is sped up to limit the waiting times for those applying.

Harrogate bars and cafes bid for pavement licences

Several Harrogate bars and cafes have applied to serve customers on pavements outside their venues when they re-open on April 12.

Gron Kafe, Hidden Bar Harrogate and Cold Bath Brewing Co have all applied to Harrogate Borough Council for pavement licences.

It is likely that many other businesses across the Harrogate district will apply before the outdoor reopening of hospitality venues next month.

Pavement licences will help venues compensate for some of the capacity they have lost by spacing out tables and chairs for social distancing.

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Harrogate Borough Council said the move will help encourage people back into town centres to support local businesses.

Jim Mossman, co-owner of the Cold Bath Brewing Co, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are just trying to grasp any opportunity we can. We want to come back from coronavirus stronger than ever.

“This pavement licence will mean we can put out four benches. It just gives us a bit of leeway to expand our space and serve customers in a safe way.”

The government introduced pavement licences last year but has made them easier and cheaper to apply for.

The licence fee is now capped at £100 with a consultation period of five working days.