THE owners of a Bowness bar have hit back after they were slammed for ‘flouting’ Lake District planning rules.

The Lake View Garden Bar on Lake Road came under fire from national park members for not following planning permission.

The park’s development control committee unanimously turned down a re-submitted application after hearing the bar was bigger than planned and a toilet block was built in the wrong place. Disability access was also called into question.

But owners Hargreaves Enterprises Limited, which runs The Fizzy Tarté, BAHA & The Cranleigh Boutique, have said it served a quarter-of-a-million people in its first year of trading yet had not received a ‘single negative comment’ about the ‘design or look’ of its premises.

Last week, the LDNPA’s development control committee rejected a planning officer’s recommendation that the bar could stay as it is – which means enforcement action could now be considered.

The bar owners said in a statement that the situation was ‘unfortunate’ when it had the backing of LDNPA planning officers which it had worked closely with.

The statement read: “The decision has been a surprise to all parties and whilst it is seen as a minor setback for Hargreaves Enterprises Ltd, they will carefully review the park authority’s decision and make adjustments to remedy their concerns and appeal the decision.”

Owner Stephen Hargreaves added: “It’s very important to note that we have serviced over 250,000 people in our first year of trading and not had a single negative comment on the design and look of the site. Access for people with disabilities was mentioned at the planning committee despite the fact that the site has a purpose-built entrance for disabled users.”

The bar said it respected the concerns and planned to seek further advice on how to improve its facilities. It said the company makes a ‘strong contribution’ to employment and had invested heavily in the community.

National park member Hugh Branney said at the meeting: “This is a really important viewpoint in probably the busiest part of the Lake District World Heritage Site. If that’s what they see, I don’t think it meets our standards whatsoever. While it’s only my opinion, I think it’s quite a deliberate flouting of the planning permission.”