A NORTON pub has been refused planning permission for a decking area it has already installed after complaints from a string of neighbours over noise and traffic concerns.

The New Inn installed the raised seating area on the corner of Cherry Street and Glebe Lane in Norton, without planning permission from Dudley Council.

Its bid for retrospective permission has been refused after a dozen objections were lodged from neighbours with concerns over noise, lack of parking and the blocking of motorists' views at the junction.

Planners said the proposed decking and screening due to its "height" and "visual prominence" would be "detrimental to the existing street scene and wider Area of High Historical Townscape and the safety of other highway users."

(Image: Google)

One objection stated: "The raised nature of the deck means that patrons using it are elevated to a significant height over and above the already 1M high platform which is distracting to road users and also allows noise to travel and affect surrounding properties.

"Since its construction, people use it almost as a stage because of it’s elevated nature.

"We have also noted that people use it out of hours in the night when they are walking through the neighbourhood – this creates a neighbourhood disturbance."

Another said: "Since the car park has been decked over, and the addition of food outlets, the parking for residents has been intolerable."

Another objection stated: "The pub has already built the decking, with no regard to the neighbours.

"There has already been several noise complaints about the pub and now they have built a new decking and expanded closer to the street which will also increase the noise."

A statement from the pub's leaseholders, which was submitted to the council, says: "The new decking area has not taken any car park spacings and purely replaces an untidy area of garden where customers stood or sat.

"The existing hedge and scrubbed area was removed as it was causing problems for footpath users, on a narrow footpath corner and now also improved the the existing restricted vehicle views.

"We can reinstate the hedge with an artificial type that would impact on visibility as previous , but would be easier to maintain and control, masking the handrail.

"With or without the decking the area will remain as an uncontrolled area to sit or stand, where as we can limit the area in its current format with the introduction of a gate."

The application was refused on September 2.