Brewery Heron and Brearley and Douglas Council are at loggerheads over a temporary bar near the TT Grandstand.

H&B’s Trackside Bar has remained in Noble’s Park since TT, despite direct instructions from a planning officer and requests from the council.

Last month Isle of Man Newspapers reported that the council had voted to object to a retrospective planning application (18/00590/B) to allow the H&B bar to remain in place between TT and the Festival of Motorcycling (FoM).

This week Douglas Council leader David Christian told the council that the fee H&B will have to pay for failing to remove it has totalled £7,000. He also told the council the money was expected to be received today (Friday).

The brewery received planning permission (18/00104/B) to build its temporary bar for TT and the FoM.

But at this week’s council meeting, Councillor Ritchie McNicholl said that the approval had been granted only after it was stated the bar wouldn’t be in the park all summer, adding the issue ’flies in the face’ of planning.

A report from planning officer Chris Balmer stated the bar would ’not be in situ more than 14 days’ before the first practices of TT and FoM or after the last race days.

Mr Balmer’s report says: ’For the avoidance of doubt, no approval is granted for the retention of the temporary building/s between any of the racing events.’ Despite this, it has remained in Noble’s Park since it was built in May.

During the debate on the issue, Councillor Debbie Pitts said she was disappointed that H&B hadn’t removed its bar despite requests from the council, while Natalie Byron sought clarification the fee would be enforceable should the same occur next year.

Councillor John Skinner raised concerns that merely increasing the fee H&B pays is ’condoning’ its actions for future years.

Mr Christian said he didn’t think the extra fee was condoning what had happened and restated his belief it ’should have come down’.

A spokesman for the brewery told the Courier that the company had paid more but denied this was a penalty charge, as numerous councillors had stated.

He said: ’Since winning the tender for the operation, we have been working closely with the appropriate departments on agreeing all our plans and have recently concluded discussions with Douglas Council regarding an appropriate ground fee for The Trackside.

’As of today we have not received any formal communication from the council regarding a penalty. We have had an invoice for payment of ground rent with which we have no dispute. We have left the Trackside in situ to reduce disruption to the park ground and we look forward to working with the council and the government in the delivery of what promises to be a successful Festival of Motorcycling.’

Mr Christian noted that H&B had applied retrospectively on June 5, to keep the site in situ and contradicted H&B’s claim that the council was working to agree with the brewery’s plans.

He said it was wrong for H&B to have been granted permission and have agreement with the council over the length of time the bar would remain in place, to then go back and try to change that.

While this application is still pending a decision, the council was consulted over the plans and stated its objection to the proposals.