Pub-goers unable to sit outside due to council error

A council blunder has left an historic square next to Canterbury Cathedral empty of pub-goers for the first time in years.

The Buttermarket, opposite the Christ Church Gate entrance, currently has no outdoor tables or chairs after Canterbury City Council (CCC) gave councillors incorrect information regarding a planning application.

The authority had been looking to increase the size of the existing seating area so it could be used by the two pubs on the square – The Old Buttermarket and The Shakespeare.

But the mistake, for which CCC has apologised, means neither pub can currently use it.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, only one pub has previously been allowed to use the area at any one time under a licence from the council, which owns the land.

But under the proposed changes, the area would be expanded and split into two sections – one for each pub – separated by a walkway and enclosed by low canvas barriers.

But when the expansion proposal went before the planning committee on 31 March, members were mistakenly told the increase would be by 50% rather than about 20%.

Councillors rejected that as an "overdevelopment", a decision the authority has since conceded was made on the wrong basis and must now be reconsidered.

"We had hoped to get both the new licences in place for 1 April, but the refusal of the planning application means this has not been possible," said the CCC spokesperson.

"We apologise to anyone who has an interest in this application for the error."

They confirmed the scheme will now return to the committee later this month.

The Shepherd Neame brewery, which runs The Shakespeare, had held the previous licence for the last two years.

It said it is working with The Old Buttermarket and CCC to try to find a way for both venues to share the space once a new arrangement is agreed.

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