An ice cream company has been granted a licence to serve alcohol from a new venue based in converted toilets in a Saddleworth park.
Oldham’s licensing panel has approved an application from Grandpa Greene’s Luxury Ice Cream Ltd for a new premises licence for a ‘small’ restaurant on the edge of a park in Uppermill, which would accommodate 44 people.
The green light came despite several objections from residents and a parish councillor who raised concerns about the effect of serving alcohol within the King George V Playing Fields.
Under the approved terms of the licence, Grandpa Greene’s will serve alcohol from 11am to 7pm, Monday to Sunday at the new venue.
The former public toilets in King George V Playing Fields in Uppermill (Picture: Creative Architecture/Grandpa Greene's Luxury Ice Cream Ltd)
The company insisted alcohol would only be served inside, and with food – such as Prosecco with afternoon tea which it says would be the "majority" of its alcohol sales, and no alcohol would be taken off-site.
Helen Bishop, parish councillor for Greenfield, had formally objected, arguing the plans were a "safeguarding issue" with adults drinking alcohol "within a children’s play area".
“The changes of these interests clashing are high, and alcohol consumption will only fuel any altercations or interactions that occur,” she stated.
“The area has also had a problem with drug use associated with the night-time culture, it is not appropriate for that to start to encroach upon the park.
“Young people have very few safe places to enjoy and these should be protected from intoxicated adults.”
How the former public toilets in King George V Playing Fields in Uppermill would look after being developed into a cafe (Picture: Creative Architecture/Grandpa Greene's Luxury Ice Cream Ltd)
Managing director Rick Scholes wrote to the council in defence of the application, which will be decided by the licensing panel on April 19.
“Our trained staff wouldn’t allow alcohol to be served to anyone who is already under the influence of alcohol for licensing reasons, but also because having drunk people on site goes against our business model as a family friendly ice cream parlour and café,” he stated, adding that numerous other Uppermill cafés also have alcohol licences.
“If we were unable to offer a glass of wine or a bottle of beer with lunch it would significantly impact our business as many diners would choose to visit alternative local cafés,” Mr Scholes added.
“Our target market is families and this will never change – this doesn’t change the demand for mum and dad to enjoy a beer and some lunch whilst the children enjoy an ice cream/dessert.”
The park toilets, built in 2000 were closed in 2018 following anti-social behaviour and vandalism.
The ice cream business says it will provide an external public toilet at the site that will be open seven days a week for all park-users.
The former public toilets in King George V Playing Fields in Uppermill (Picture: Creative Architecture/Grandpa Greene's Luxury Ice Cream Ltd)
Planning proposals to convert the former public toilets in the park on Wade Row into a café had also sparked a mixed response, with 121 objections to 37 supporting comments.
Despite the objections Oldham’s planning committee gave the application, which includes a single storey glazed extension, the green light in August last year.
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