The plans for an apartment block at the top of Gateacre Brow - on the site of the modern houses 'Hillside' and 'Atalaya' - have been redrawn following objections from several nearby residents, as well as from the Gateacre Society. Instead of a single three-storey block of 12 flats (as illustrated in our September 2003 Newsletter) the proposal is now for a three-storey block of 6 flats and a two-storey block of 4 flats, separated by a driveway giving access to 14 car parking spaces at the back.

We have written to the Planning Department reiterating our previous objection: we still feel that too much traffic will be generated by the development (on a road which has become noticeably busier since the construction of the mini-roundabout at the top), that the new buildings will be over-dominant at the approach to the Gateacre Village Conservation Area, and that they will have an adverse effect on the setting of the adjacent listed buildings.

A planning application (ref. 03F/3944) has been submitted to allow 185 Grange Lane to remain open until 10 pm each evening, and to operate as a hot food takeaway rather than solely as a café/restaurant. As reported in a previous Newsletter, permission for these changes was granted on a temporary basis in August 2003, but this permission will expire on 29th February. Meanwhile a new shopfront has been installed: the 'Rising Sun Café' has become the 'Happy Family Chinese & Cantonese Take-Away'. Although the business appears to be attracting very few customers at present, we are concerned that this may change in future - bringing about an increase in litter, anti-social behaviour and parking problems in Grange Lane. We have therefore reiterated our previous objection to the use of the premises as a takeaway.