The site of a hairdressing salon in Bridgend town centre that has been empty for over two years is set to turn into a café and wine bar. An application to turn the former salon that occupied 106 Nolton Street in Bridgend into a café and wine bar has been approved by Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC).
The café and wine bar will operate from 4pm to 11pm from Thursdays to Saturdays, and 12pm to 8pm on Sundays. One of the main concerns regarding the plans for a new bar came from a property owner whose house is near the proposed site. The property owner said she had concerns over the potential noise nuisance that could be created by the new bar.
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She said: "I note that although the licence time has been reduced from midnight to 11pm, this means that there will still potentially be people leaving up until 11.30pm, possibly causing noise and antisocial behaviour outside my property."
The property owner also commented on the plans for the toilet of the new bar to be located on the first floor of the building. She added: "There will be considerable traffic up and down, and even if this is carpeted, [it] will cause a nuisance to my property. Also, if staff need to access stock from the upstairs store room, this could potentially cause a disturbance to residents asleep in the adjoining bedroom.
"I know the planners have referred [the] advantage of having this application granted is that it would be better than having the property empty. However, permission granted for a licensed premises here is likely to result in my property being empty."
A comment referring to the Noise Impact Assessment in the planning report states that the café bar operating until 11pm and with a maximum capacity of 35 people will not have a significant impact. It adds: "The noise impact of customers using the staircase to access the toilets at first floor level is also indicated to be insignificant."
A statement from the Shared Regulatory Services Officers reads: "If the wall does perform to its assumed rating and provided that the premises only operates until 23:00 and the first floor is not used by customers, any impact will be minimised."
The proposed site has been vacant since March 2020. One of the key issues that has been raised by residents and candidates in the upcoming local government elections is the number of empty properties and shops that frequent high streets. Bridgend has seen a number of businesses leave its high street over the past couple of years.
Rory Pitman, of Poison Ivy RM Ltd, the applicants, said he hopes to help revitalise Bridgend town centre. "As you have seen, the property has been empty for a long time and [the location], really, is the gateway for Bridgend," he said.
"What I am trying to do is attract people from Ewenny Road and Newbridge Fields [to] have a nice drink before they go into town and have something to eat or carry on with their evening elsewhere. I am trying to create jobs in the area. As you know, the unemployment in Bridgend is quite substantial.
"The decline of the town centre has [increased] more and more over the years and I just feel that as a businessman, a Bridgend boy and a local there is a huge opportunity here to create something that people can be proud of in the area." Want the latest news from Bridgend County straight to your inbox? Sign up for free here.
