Council Investigates Barn Café Complaint as Family Describes Child's Pretend Café

Tell me again, because obviously this is our pri-

This is me, before we-

Oh.

What is it?

Yeah, that's me.

Okay.

There you go. Thank you.

So just, just tell us why are you here, because we, we, we...

Some people have said this is a joke.

So we just wanna know why you're here and what's the situation.

Okay. We've just received a concern raised for

the council that there has

been a change of use of a building-

Okay

... or, uh, it's gonna be used as a café.

As a café?

Yeah.

And do you... You don't have to tell us the name of it,

but do you have a record of

who actually made this complaint?

Yes, I do.

And do you have an email and a digital footprint?

Yes.

Okay, good. Um, because we don't know how on earth

somebody would have... Because we do have a café,

but it's a child's pretend

café.

Right.

Which my, which my daughter has.

Okay.

And so we th... Uh, now, obviously it might look realistic.

We'll show it to you.

Yeah, you're completely welcome to.

But we, we don't know. So it seems, we want the $64,000 questions.

We thought it was quite distinct. Who would have made such a complaint?

Um, so obviously I'll show you. I mean, are you gonna do a house search or

whatever? Where are we-

Yeah, what do you want to see?

Where are we searching?

Do you want to see everything or what... Just have a look at it.

The complaint was a barn has been converted-

That's the stone barn. Yeah

... into a café.

Well, that's our stone barn, which is a chapel for us, as a, as a family.

It's a private chapel. I'll show you it. And the café is in a separate area.

I'll show you the café as well.

Okay.

Um, but, um, as I said-

Part, part of the complaint, they did mention a, a website.

Yeah.

I don't know whether I... Did I send that with the email? And that's the site.

But what's that? I'm not sure what's that got to do with the café.

Because I think, I don't know what, what was on there.

Right.

But when I clicked on it, it just said, "Coming soon."

Okay.

And no, no other information. So I don't know if there

was something on there

previously, or if that's anything to do with you guys

at all.

Um, so-

We've nev- we've never had a café. We've never had-

No, I mean, I mean the website.

Yeah.

I mean-

Okay, but the ob- obviously, what, what, what's nonplussed us is that this, this is

a... Obviously, this is our private house.

Yeah.

And, you know, my child, Zoe, has set up a pretend café.

It's not the café.

And we just wanna know, first of all, how did someone find out about it, and

why they would put in a complaint, 'cause we, we just find it absolutely

ridiculous. But you're welcome to come in.

No.

And you're an official... You're definitely from the council?

She is.

You really-

I do have I.D.

Are you from the planning department?

People didn't believe it. I think they just thought it

was one of those-

Are, are you actually from... Are you actually from-

There you go. Kelly

... from the planning, from the planning department?

I'm from the planning department.

Planning enforcement officer from-

Planning enfor-

Bedford-

You're planning enforcement officer.

From Bedford Borough Council.

Okay, so obviously you've got-