BOCBOC coffee shop in Eccleston has been given permission to extend its opening hours to allow it to hold more evening events.
St Helens Borough Council’s planning committee agreed to let the café, based in Kiln Lane, open until 11pm, Monday to Sunday.
Currently, the premises can open 8am to 9pm Monday to Saturday, and 9am to 6pm on Sundays.
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The owners of Bocboc, which underwent a major revamp last year, have said the move will allow it to hold more special events.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the café held a number of events that ran later into the evenings, using temporary extension applications.
Concerns have been raised about the potential impact the later opening hours would have on the surrounding neighbours.
In total, six individual letters of objection were received by the council.
Tom Cooke, a resident from a nearby property, spoke against the application at Tuesday’s meeting.
Mr Cooke said he believed granting the extension would lead to a loss of privacy for residents.
He also claimed previous events held at Bocboc had led to numerous issues.
Mr Cooke said: “Previous applications have been made to the council for temporary event licenses, which were granted.
“However, when these events took place they led to vehicles stopping outside our property, leading to us not having use of our own driveways, and cars stopping outside our house to collect people.
“This led to noise, people congregating outside our house, staring in, making us feel as though we were being watched.
“Not what ones expects after 9pm at night.”
While no-one registered to speak in favour of the application, the council did receive 23 individual letters of support, with many residents praising Bocboc and its owners.
Cllr Seve Gomez-Aspron, chairman of the planning committee, said many businesses, particularly in the retail and leisure sector, are “feeling the pinch” caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Labour councillor said granting planning permission would help Bocboc get to a business model that is not as impacted so severely by the pandemic.
Eccleston councillor Geoff Pearl, of the Liberal Democrats, was also in support of the move.
Cllr Pearl said: “It (Bocboc) has brought people in, they use it during the day, in the afternoons for families.
“We have another café down in Walmesley Road which does well, and we’ve had no problems there at all.
“So I’d be in mind to be in favour of the application.”
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Cllr Pearl proposed a motion to grant planning permission, with conditions.
This included a condition to restrict the hours of operation for the outside seating area so that it ceases at 9pm.
Councillors took a vote and unanimously approved planning permission.
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