Sheffield restaurant plans to expand with open rooftop and railway carriage dining area

The Summer House, on Abbeydale Road South, near Dore railway station, is planning to renovate by adding an new second floor.

Kate Cavan, owner, said: “What we are hoping to do is extend our family oriented local restaurant. We want to be able to provide more outside space to meet demand.

“We are lucky to have many lovely, regular, and supportive customers, who cannot wait for us to reopen. We pride ourselves on being part of our local community, a hub for families, retirees, friends, couples and business people.

“We are complimented all the time on how the restaurant looks and how much people enjoy being in there, which is a tremendous reward and makes the more challenging aspects of running a restaurant worthwhile."

The Summer House first opened in 2015 and transformed from a garden centre and bike shop into what it describes as a ‘luxurious and bespoke’ restaurant.

The design was inspired by an English country house garden room and its menu offers pizzas, fresh fish, locally sourced meats and sophisticated classics.

It currently has about 80 table covers and the new expansion would allow it to add about 70 more.

In their application form to Sheffield Council, restaurant bosses said they would also increase staffing numbers by six more full-time and seven more part-time employees.

Members of the council's highways and planning committee are due to make a decision on the plans next week during their first virtual planning meeting.

In a report to the committee, planning officers have recommended the plans for approval, saying: “The design, although unusual in that it takes the form in part of a railway carriage, is appropriate to its surroundings.

“The council's licensing team and environmental protection service have no complaints recorded.

“The key consideration is to determine whether increasing the size of this restaurant will create an adverse impact on surrounding land and property.

“This is an existing business in a high activity area, it has a lawful use as a restaurant – not a drinking establishment – and a number of conditions can control the use and noise.

“The proposed restaurant extensions will also support and grow an existing business as well therefore complying with the economic principles of the National Planning Policy Framework, weighing significantly in support of the proposal.”

Opinions on the scheme were split between the 20 people who commented on it to the council.

Those in support said it would provide work for tradesmen during the build, could encourage investment in the area and that it was a ‘well regarded restaurant that is of benefit to the local area’ and these new additions would be welcome.

However, those against the proposals were concerned about late night noise, rowdy behaviour, parking and litter.

But in response to objections, Ms Cavan said a lot of the claims were ‘misleading’ and ‘inaccurate’ and that she had spoken with her agent and amended the plans to represent a more realistic plan of the proposed extension and what it will represent.

She said their vision for the design is to create an eco-friendly energy efficient building in a sympathetic design with locally sourced material to blend into the surrounding area, adding the train carriage is a ‘nod to the train station and its historical impact on the development of the Dore and Totley area’.