The new Dominos restaurant will be sited alongside Tenby’s War Memorial

Councillors in Tenby have asked for clarification on details of an application for a ‘late night refreshment’ licence being applied for by a new pizza restaurant in the resort.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, members were asked to consider a premises licence from applicant J. J. E Enterprises Ltd - for a late night refreshment licence from 11 pm to midnight, on Fridays and Saturdays, for the new Domino’s restaurant and takeaway to be situated at Units 1 to 3 on South Parade.

The application from Domino’s UK for a change of use from Class A1 (retail) to Class A3 (hot food takeaway) use at the newly-built units was turned down by members of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority’s development management committee last year, but the applicants overturned the decision after lodging a successful appeal to the Welsh Government planning inspectorate.

When querying whether the ‘late night refreshment’ application was to serve alcohol, the town clerk, Andrew Davies, told councillors that it didn’t appear to be the case, as there was no mention of alcohol being served at the premises on the application being put forward to Pembrokeshire County Council, and it simply appeared to be to allow for phone and internet deliveries to be made between 11 pm and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

“The licensing department have brought a lot of things under one licence after recent changes, and that appears to be the case here,” he said.

“The conditions of the appeal stated that only phone and internet orders can be be made after 11 pm, and if any customers are on their premises after this time, then they would be breaching the conditions,” continued Mr. Davies.

Clr. Laurence Blackhall said that he sat in on the appeal hearing by the planning inspectorate, but he was yet to see the management plan that would be drawn up by the applicants, which included details of customers not being allowed on the premises after 11 pm on weekends, and 10 pm during the week.

He also asked that the management plan be sought, so that clarification could be given on conditions that a ‘code of conduct’ for delivery drivers requiring that they park in the town’s multi-storey car park at all times will also be implemented.

“I hope that this is the case and that the planning inspectorate has not been misled,” he commented.

“This seems to be the case with a lot of planning applications, where they do a bit to get it through, and then try and get a bit more along the way, and it is about time that this is changed by the Welsh Government. Applicants should be bound by such conditions passed for three years. It is dishonest and disappointing, and has already upset the residents that live above those units,” continued Clr. Blackball, who demanded to see a copy of the management plan.

Clr. Tony Brown said that he had seen applications where such a ‘late night refreshments’ licence had been applied for, and that it didn’t necessarily mean that it was for alcohol, but agreed that it was ‘misleading’.

Councillors asked if clarification could be sought from the county council’s licensing department, that no alcohol licence had been applied for at the premises, and also that a copy of the management plan for the applicants be sought.