Newcastle City Council has rejected an application for a café on Mistletoe Avenue in Jesmond. The application, by Steve Buckley and Andrew Finlay, was made to convert the premises of the former Bellwood Associates estate agents into a new cafe and micropub named “60 Mistletoe” that would have been similar to their other venture, “Left Luggage Room” near Monkseaton Metro station.

Jesmond Residents Association (JRA) told JesmondLocal that it had taken a neutral stance towards the application, neither rejecting nor supporting it, even though it says the application was discussed at great length during association meetings.

“Whist we are in favour of some form of micropub somewhere in Jesmond to provide a diverse offering we also recognised that depending on the location this may cause nuisance that can be considered to be unacceptable,” said a spokesperson.

The application was made under the Class A3 category for restaurants and cafés. Buckley and Finlay planned to have the cafe offer breakfasts and coffee as well as craft beers, making it a family-friendly environment as opposed to just a pub. Aside from planning to close early, the duo claim the venture would have also created 10 jobs.

However, that was not enough to convince local residents who voiced concerns over possible increases in vehicular and pedestrian traffic, parking difficulties, a potential rise in anti-social behaviour and more broken glass around the area. Another concern raised was an increase in smoking since the application also included a smoking area extending to the pavement.

The duo responded to these concerns about the café with a Facebook post which said: “You don’t have this in Jesmond. If you want to change the way your area looks and feels, we are the first step. We are not the enemy. Within 12 months we will change the Osbourne Road that you hate… We, along with our friends at The Dog and Rabbit and Nord have changed “The Coast” from cheap stag and hen paradise to the pinnacle of craft…”

JesmondLocal has asked both the council and Steve Buckley for a comment, but they have yet to reply.