BRAVAS in Cotham has been allowed to keep its outdoor seating after councillors overturned advice from planning officers to refuse permission following overwhelming public support.
Applause rang out from the public gallery at City Hall as the planning committee approved the application from the popular Cotham Hill tapas restaurant by 8-0 votes, with one abstention, after hearing that rejecting the proposals would be “petty and vindictive”.
The decision followed Avon Fire & Rescue Service’s 11th-hour decision to withdraw its objection, which it initially made amid concerns the al fresco dining structure did not leave enough room for a fire engine to get past on the street, which was pedestrianised during Covid.
But after revisiting the premises, off Whiteladies Road, Redland, to measure the gap, it reversed its decision and found that the width on the highway was adequate for emergency access – by a whole metre more than previously stated.
About 1,200 people wrote in support of Bravas’s bid to retain the seating, making it one of Bristol’s most popular planning applications ever.
The venue now faces a fresh battle with Bristol City Council’s highways authority for a pavement licence for the terrace, which is also required for it to trade outside despite now having planning consent.
The highways team issued the restaurant with an enforcement notice in October ordering it to remove the structure, which it said appeared to have been put up without lawful authority and was an obstruction.
That was put on pause days later because highways officers had not realised a separate planning application was under way.
In a report to the committee in February, planning officers recommended refusal on the grounds that the fire service had at the time objected, that it would hinder access to underground utilities and street cleaning, and that the narrow space would create conflict between cyclists and pedestrians.
They considered the terrace to be a permanent structure that could not be dismantled quickly, although the team had no objections to Bravas’s other outdoor seating over the road which could be removed easily.
A planning officer admitted at the meeting that they might have made a different assessment if the fire service had reversed its opposition earlier.
Cllr Fabian Breckels (Labour, St George Troopers Hill) told the committee: “This strikes me as one of those cases where decisions seem to be made to refuse planning permission for something regardless even if the evidence then changes.
“It’s not a good look, it makes the council look petty and vindictive.
“Post-Covid, post-Brexit, after 14 years of austerity, life is still tough for businesses and we need to do all we can to support them, not throw obstacles their way.”
Cllr Ani Townsend (Green, Central) said: “It’s pedestrianised, using the public realm for uses such as this in order to cultivate a thriving high street.”
Cllr Caroline Gooch (Lib Dem, Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze) said: “I disagree with the recommendation. It adds to the vibrancy of the street scene. It’s a really good use of a small amount of space. The public benefit outweighs the objection.”
Cllr Sibusiso Tshabalala (Green, Central) said the number of submissions of support showed what community power looked like.
Deputy head of planning Jonathan Dymond said that if a motion to approve was put forward, there should be conditions to ensure the structure’s upkeep and to guarantee the available width on the road.
But Cllr Townsend proposed granting consent as applied for with no strings attached.
Committee chairman Cllr Don Alexander (Labour, Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston) said: “We have a proposal from Cllr Townsend which is to approve without conditions, so from the local planning authority doesn’t cover any of the other bases, which is possibly unwise.”
It was approved by 8-0 votes with Cllr Alexander abstaining.
Restaurant co-founder Imogen Waite told the meeting: “As the support for our planning indicates, Bravas is a real community, not just a business.
“For nearly five years this terrace has helped to turn an old parking space into a place where people actually spend time together.
“In that period there have been no recorded accidents linked to the terrace, no complaints about obstruction, and no occasions where emergency or utility access has been blocked.”
A planning officer said the original objection by the fire service was a “key reason” for recommending refusal but as it had been withdrawn so late, earlier that day, they had not had enough time to change the report or provide an updated proposal.
He said: “The removal of the objection is a significant late change.
“Were this to have come to us earlier, a different assessment could have been made.”
By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service