Gateshead community cafe devastated by demolition order
Fed and Watered is in Ryton
Staff and customers at a Gateshead business say they may protest a council decision to demolish a beloved cafe.
Fed and Watered is a community café in Ryton
Events are held to support mental health issues and many of the staff are work placements, young people with autism and other developmental problems.
The cafe and community hub is facing demolition after planning permission was refused.
Local support for the cafe has remained strong with a thousands signing a petition for the business to stay.
Owner Jo Stanton said: “I don’t understand. We cover everything on the council’s mission statement and the levelling up policy, we cover everything.
“Where is our backing, why isn’t there any, like when the Government gave us what was needed during Covid? We help with the scouts, schools, loads of children from lots of different areas.”
A spokesperson for Gateshead Council said:
“The café and associated buildings were built without planning permission some years ago, and work to the premises continued following the refusal of planning permission at that time. Planning permission had previously been refused and an appeal dismissed for a similar scheme.
“The council’s Planning Committee considered a revised application and visited the site in 2022 to listen to the applicants’ case, but considered the development to have an unacceptable impact on the green belt, and also had significant concerns about highway safety.
“We therefore took enforcement action for the buildings and structures to be removed. This decision was appealed to the independent planning Inspectorate who dismissed the appeal earlier this year and gave the applicant four months to remove the unauthorised buildings. While this process is ongoing it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to comment any further.
“We’re always keen to support local businesses where we can, and officers did work with the applicant to try to find solutions to the planning concerns, but in this case the location was not considered suitable. We would always be willing to help a community café set up in an appropriate location.”