A York shop and café wants to become a relaxed alternative to nearby pubs.
Lapin, at 75 Balmoral Terrace, is set to be a florists with a small café. Its owners Sara Winlow and Robert Darbyshire have now applied for an alcohol licence for the business.
In the application, they describe the coffee shop as “an ancillary aspect of the business with limited seating”.
They add: “The objective is for a relaxed environment for small numbers of local residents away from larger pubs and venues.”
To prevent crime and disorder, they will have CCTV monitoring and a strict Challenge 25 policy.
According to plans of the venue, there are only eight chairs for people in the café-bar. The licence would allow the venue to serve alcohol on and off the premises from noon until 10.30pm.
One objection
North Yorkshire Police have withdrawn any objection to the alcohol licence after agreeing conditions with the owners.
These include that the “premises shall operate predominantly as a flower shop with a café offering and not as a vertical drinking establishment”.
Also, all doors and windows have to be closed after 9pm or when playing amplified music.
One neighbour has objected to the licensing application as they “do not wish to have a bar outside my front door”.
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The Queen Victoria Street resident adds: “I believe it is not necessary as a flower shop to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises.
“It will be noisy and have people stood in the street, smoking etc. It will be horrendous when the races are on (it is already bad enough!).”
Lapin, on Balmoral Terrace, was once the South Bank Stores, which dated back to 1909. Sara Winlow has been working to reopen it as a shop since 2019 when she bought the property.
She faced a number of planning challenges to convert the upstairs to a home, and launched a petition which gained more than 1,300 signatures.
A poster in the window says ‘Coming soon – A big thank you to all who supported and signed our petition.”
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