In our last Newsletter we reported that a planning application (13F/2764) had been submitted to 'legalise' the use of the Black Bull's cobbled forecourt as an outdoor seating area. We know that several local residents have sent in objections.

In our own comments to the City Council's Planning Department, we stated that we would prefer the forecourt to remain as an open area for people to walk across, and that if planning permission were to be granted it should be on the understanding that the owners of the pub will pay for the cobbles to be re-laid 'correctly' (under the supervision of a conservation architect) so as to be less of a trip hazard. We suggested restrictions on the hours and months of operation, and the design and siting of the proposed tables.

Now we have been told that the application has been amended, the proposed hours being 11.30am-6pm only. A new layout plan has also been submitted, indicating that the tables are to be placed on the York stone path in front of the building, rather than on the actual cobbles. We have reiterated our objection to this blocking of the main pedestrian route across the site. The Council's decision on the planning application is currently awaited.