'No live music' - South Shields outdoor café lodges extended opening hours bid

A new South Shields riverside café has applied for permission to extend its opening hours.

Ferry View, a container-style venue at the ferry terminal, is among the latest investments in the town's riverside and Mill Dam area.

The site, which opened last summer, offers locally roasted coffee, Dutch-inspired street food and cycle-friendly facilities, as well as a selection of hot drinks, sweet treats and a range of alcoholic drinks.

The venue has also teamed up with The Electric Bike Shed to provide pedal-assist bike hire from the venue, encouraging residents and visitors to explore the North East coastline by bike.

When the development was originally approved by South Tyneside Council's planning department, a planning condition was added restricting its operating hours to 7am-7pm on any day.

A new application submitted to South Tyneside Council officials is now seeking permission to "vary" this condition to allow for later opening times. This includes extending the opening hours to 7am-9pm "on any day" to "allow later opening."

A planning statement submitted with the application notes the Ferry View Café was "completed and has successfully been trading since July 2025". It was noted that the "extended hours opening" was previously discussed with council planning and environmental health officers and applicants said there were no "immediate concerns" raised, other than confirmation that "live music would not be played due to the proximity of the residential apartments located opposite on River Drive".

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The planning statement adds: "This statement accompanies the S73 application and confirms that there will be no live music played after 7pm on any day as part of the extended opening hours.

"Any music played after 7pm will be background as existing via the small speaker system presently installed."

When revised plans for the café development were approved in March 2025, a council decision report said the planning condition restricting the site's opening hours was "reasonable given the proximity of [nearby residential] properties and the outdoor nature of the proposed use/development."

A decision on plans for extended opening hours at the site will be made following a council consultation exercise.

For more information, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website and search application reference number: 260130