Caister: Branfords makes second bid to keep marquee

Last year, planning officers at Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) told Branfords Bar and Restaurant, on High Street in Caister, that their sheltered seating area was "an alien and incongruous feature".

The decision shocked the owners and the local community. A petition set up by one of the bar's customers and urging the council to reverse the refusal attracted almost 1,400 signatures. 

Now the venue's owner Tyrone Harold is again seeking permission for the marquee, which was first installed during the coronavirus pandemic, to be used between September 30 and March 31 for a fixed three-year period.

The marquee outside Branfords Bar and Restaurant in Caister. (Image: Tyrone Harold)

In December, the bar owners met with Mark Turner, head of planning for GYBC, to discuss the application and look for a suitable resolution.

Mr Harold, who has a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services to the community during the Covid-19 crisis, said the meeting was productive and allowed the applicants to understand and address the planning department's concerns. 

As a result of the meeting, the bar is now asking for permission for the marquee for a period of three years instead of five years.

Mr Harold said: "We were truly humbled by the incredible local public outcry surrounding our situation with many letters of support from Caister residents and the surrounding area being sent in to the planning department."

The venue also enjoyed the backing of Penny and Graham Carpenter, borough councillors for Caister North Ward, as well as Malcolm Bird and Brian Lawn, Caister South Ward councillors.

Mr Harold said: "In particular, Penny Carpenter, the Caister representative on the county council, really led from the front in an effort to support us as a local business in these difficult times and fight the cause for what she feels is important issue for our local community.

"The marquee remains an important part of the growth of our business. It has enabled us to sustain and in fact increase our workforce and not least, it clearly is a feature that is supported by our community."

Tyrone and Kim Harold, who run Branfords Bar and Restaurant in Caister. (Image: Tyrone Harold)

The venue held a packed Christmas charity fundraiser in the marquee in December and hosted a sellout New Year's Eve party.

Charity quiz nights are planned on February 21 and March 23 before the marquee is planned to come down at the end of March following the winter season.

"All in all, we can't thank everyone who has supported us enough, it has been heart warming to see so many people get behind our cause and prove community spirit is not dead and that with a constructive voice and considerate approach the right outcome can hopefully be reached," Mr Harold said.

The marquee was first installed in winter 2020 under temporary permitted development rights designed to help businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. 

As those provisions have since been removed, Branfords, the bar/restaurant wing of the Old Hall Hotel, was originally seeking permission to erect the structure from September 30 to March 31 every year for a five-year period. 

But last November the decision regarding that first application saw a planning officer say the marquee was "an uncomplimentary, unsympathetic and obtrusive addition to the complex which detracts from the heritage interest of the site".

The officer said the Old Hall Hotel, of which Branfords is the bar and restaurant wing, should be viewed as "a non-designated heritage asset".

Previously, the petition's author, Ray Clarke, said that Mr Harold and his wife Kim "have served the community with great pride and passion".