Ray Maatook, the owner of the Penny Lane bus shelter in Liverpool, has unveiled plans for a new fast food restaurant with a drive-thru on Jericho Lane playing fields. The 71-year-old, who has left the iconic Sergeant Pepper's Bistro empty since 2003, is now targeting the green space near Otterspool Park.
Controversial plans for playing fields
Mr Maatook does not own the site, located on the Jericho Lane roundabout opposite Otterspool Recycling Centre, but has spent more than £1,000 on drawing up an application. In a pre-application report, Sport England indicated they would object to the proposal, with the Football Association also saying they would encourage Sport England to oppose the plans.
A Liverpool City Council planning officer rejected Mr Maatook's claim that the playing field is "underused" and stated that building a restaurant on the site would have a "significant adverse effect" on the green space.
School proximity and obesity concerns
The officer noted that St Margaret's school is just 400m from the site, meaning planning permission could only be granted if the premises were not open to the public before 5pm on school days. He said: "Even if permission were to be granted, which it would not be, then it would be subject to this condition in the interests of preventing childhood obesity."
The report also highlighted that, despite the proposal mentioning a drive-thru, no layout of the drive-thru was included in the proposal. The planning officer concluded that the proposal was not acceptable.
Maatook determined to press ahead
Despite the setbacks, Mr Maatook told the ECHO he is keen to press ahead and has demanded a meeting with council leader Liam Robinson to discuss the proposal. The ECHO approached Liverpool City Council for comment.
