Oatlands to create island’s first drive-through takeaway
GUERNSEY will have its first drive-through takeaway service at Oatlands Village after planning permission was granted.
Installing a 2.2m by 2.2m order point hut in the main car park has been approved, along with a food collection servery from the existing play barn on Oatlands Lane.
Work must begin within three years, following building regulations and the approved plans, otherwise permission will be revoked.
Ten letters of representation were made to the Development & Planning Authority.
Issues raised included: a take-away not fitting in for a tourist attraction; having no need for more takeaways; impacting a quiet residential area; creating traffic, anti-social behaviour, noise, pollution, litter and lighting; posing danger to schoolchildren, cyclists and pedestrians; creating a negative food environment for pupils; and no mention of trading hours.
St Sampson’s Constables requested clarification of trading hours, to determine impact on noise in the late evening.
Residents on neighbouring lanes reported existing heavy traffic to the Constables, where the lanes are used as cut-throughs to avoid main roads.
‘The Douzaine has some concern over further traffic being forced through these small lanes when the area is used by many pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.’
Concerns were also raised about the non-compliance of previous application conditions, which the Douzaine would like addressed as soon as possible.
Impact on the area’s character, adjoining properties, and road safety were decided to be acceptable by DPA.
Environmental Health and Pollution Regulation also did not object to the proposals put forward.
A DPA spokesperson said: ‘Those works are minor in nature and would not, in and of themselves, give rise to any impacts on the protected kilns, character of the area, neighbour amenity or road safety.
‘Whilst it is noted that the proposed method of operation would increase traffic on Oatlands Lane, the take away use in and of itself would not require planning permission and there are no planning restrictions which would prevent use of the existing accesses by members of the public.’
There is no planning mechanism to control the access points, nor to limit the take away’s trading hours, so long as trading hours are within those of the existing cafe.
Behaviour of takeaway users also falls outside of DPA’s control.
Conditions attached to previous planning decisions will be addressed separately.
Currently the unique visitor attraction contains mini-golf, small-scale retail, play areas, a restaurant and a self-contained flat.
The drive-through must be ancillary to and not generate more revenue than other areas of the site.
Two brick kilns are protected monuments on-site, which are unaffected along with the agricultural field on the eastern side.
Oatlands Village falls outside of the main development centres but is otherwise undesignated in the Island Development Plan.
