PLANS to extend a café in the Lake District have been given the green light.

Members of the development control committee for The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) have approved plans from Mr and Mrs Dixon to extend and alter the Bluebird Café in Coniston.

Proposals include building two single storey extensions and an extension to the terrace which includes two additional canopy roofs. Planning documents say this would create additional indoor and outdoor seating, a more manageable back-of house working space, including a staff break-out facility, and improved office space.

A design and access statement says: “Visitors come to the Lake District in increasing numbers and all year round. The proposed development will provide increased seating capacity all year round to the benefit of the café business and other lake facilities nearby.

“The proposed expansion in the back-of-house area would provide increased storage meaning deliveries need not be increased due to potential increased business.

“Existing car park arrangements are more than adequate for the proposed increased capacity with the adjacent LDNPA owned car park and overflow parking area.”

The application was reported to the committee as the Lake District National Park Authority owns the site and the applicant is a long-standing operator.

The manager of Steam Yacht Gondola Captain Julian Blatchley commented on behalf of the National Trust that the proposals appear to ‘impact our operations’ and efforts to keep Gondola ‘self-financing’.

Steam Yacht Gondola is a historic steam-powered passenger vessel which first sailed Coniston in 1860. The National Trust saved and restored the vessel in the late 1970s and have operated her continuously since 1980. From the end of March until the end of October every year the Gondola runs between three to four sailings daily, and occasional evening charter sailings.

Mr Blatchley commented: “I disagree with the statement by the local highway authority that parking is adequate. It is already oversubscribed, and we are already having difficulty with our guests parking.”

“Gondola was already seriously impacted by the ‘creep’ of the café to the South side in recent years. Before the toilets were built, people arriving at the foot of Lake Road could see Gondola at her jetty from the road. The toilets partially blocked this view, and subsequently storage lockers were added which completely masked our jetty”, the comment adds.

Members of the development control committee for the LDNPA approved the application with conditions on March 6.