Batleys Ltd – trading as the Bellevue Cash & Carry at 30 McDonald Place – seeks retrospective planning permission to extend its trading hours to 7am–8pm, Mon.–Sat. and 8.30am–12pm, Sun. (Ref. 12/02594/FUL).
Present managers have until recently been ‘unaware’ that a Class 3 condition consented in 1988 was very much more restrictive: 8am–10pm, Mon.–Fri.; 8am–12pm, Sat.; and no trading on Suns.
They now argue that the opening hours of their customers (principally small businesses) – extended by various changes to trading hours over the last 24 years – require them to respond with changes of their own.
A noise assessment they have commissioned concludes, perhaps unsurprisingly, that ‘should the site continue to operate with the preferred hours, no detrimental effect will be experienced by immediate neighbours or indeed residents within the surrounding area’.
It appears that both neighbours and Batleys Ltd have taken their eyes off the ball on this one.
On the one hand, whilst locals will be irritated by Batley’s apparent incompetence and de facto extension of its hours, they will be heartened by the company's belated recognition that matters need setting straight. Many will recognise that the Bellevue Cash & Carry is a valued asset for small businesses across north Edinburgh.
On the other hand, whilst Council officials report no recent complaints by locals about disruption hereabouts or loss of amenity from associated traffic, they should not assume residents' historic lack of protest means they are content about the current situation in such a narrowly confined area.
McDonald Place stands at a geographical boundary between domestic and commercial interests where compromise between the two will be necessary. But to Spurtle's mind, residents' reasonable views – formulated without the purposeful focus, financial means and professional advice available to a private company – should merit any available benefit of the doubt in the Planning process.