New cafe at centre of planning complaint

A fourth cafe has opened in a Wolverhampton village already awash with tea and coffee outlets - prompting an investigation by planning chiefs.

Gluttons for Nourishment has taken over a former florist shop in Tettenhall and is believed to bring the village's tea shop quota over the 30 per cent limit.

Owner Sarah Hipkiss, 46, has also opened without the appropriate planning permission. Now Wolverhampton City Council is investigating a complaint and Mrs Hipkiss says she is "mortified".

When Sadlier's coffee lounge relocated to the former wine merchants in Upper Green, the owners were told the new shop brought the cafe quota iup to 29 per cent.

As well as Sadlier's, which was relaunched by Slade star Dave Hill in September, the village is also served by Cafe Relish and Cafe Zest, both also in Upper Green.

Gluttons For Nourishment, formerly Wendy's Flower Boutique, opened to the public last Tuesday after an extensive refit.

Mrs Hipkiss, who formerly ran a catering business specialising in cakes and confectionaries from her Bridgnorth home, said she has applied for retrospective planning consent to allow the business to continue.

She said: "I was mortified when I realised I had to have special permission. I've now sorted out the paperwork with the authorities and it is now all going through."

But city council spokesman Tim Clark said today: "Change of use consent would be required to convert a retail business to a cafe, and the owner does not have that."

He added: "Our planning enforcement team has received a complaint and is investigating."

A Brewood resident, who regularly visits the village's cafes but did not want to be named, said: "It does not seem fair that Gluttons will be able to stay open while the application goes through, which could take anything from six weeks to two months.

"If the decision goes against the cafe the owner has the right to appeal which could give another six months.

"It could take almost a year to go through by which time they will, by then, be able to argue a business case for the cafe."