Sisters fear for business after neighbours complain

TWO sisters from Cosham fear they could lose their beauty business of seven years after a war of words with neighbours over a new garden studio.
The Allure Beauty studio that was built in 2018. Pic: Lianne BlakelyThe Allure Beauty studio that was built in 2018. Pic: Lianne Blakely
The Allure Beauty studio that was built in 2018. Pic: Lianne Blakely

Last summer siblings Samantha Spencer-Cornick and Lianne Blakely moved Allure Beauty from Samantha’s house where it had been since 2012 to a purpose-built cabin in the back garden, following the birth of her second child.

But the parlour in East Cosham Road, which specialises in nails and eyelashes, is now in jeopardy following complaints from nearby residents who claim it has led to increased noise and cars in the road.

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The fate of Allure Beauty now rests with city planners who will have to either approve or reject a retrospective planning application for the building.

Samantha Spencer-Cornick (L) and Lianne Blakely (R)Samantha Spencer-Cornick (L) and Lianne Blakely (R)
Samantha Spencer-Cornick (L) and Lianne Blakely (R)

Lianne, 31, explained why the studio was built. ‘We needed a new space because after Samantha’s second child was born there was no room in her house to run a business,’ she said.

‘We have nowhere else to work from. If the application was refused that would be it for the business, and we’ve worked so hard to build it up.’

Samantha, 34, added: ‘When purchasing the cabin we were informed no planning permission was needed and it was within regulations. We had the company we bought it from erect the cabin and we put our trust in them when it came down to being within correct distances from other people’s properties.’

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But neighbour Michael Nash, of East Cosham Road, found the studio disruptive. He said: ‘Within a matter of days of this business being run from this building the peace and tranquillity of enjoying a “quiet evening” in our garden changed.

‘There is a constant stream of customers visiting this salon which is not operating under any fixed hours of opening. The customers enter the back garden by ringing a bell attached to the back gate and are greeted by either Sam or Lianne (sometimes quite loudly).’

For Chris Morey, also of East Cosham Road, the issue was with parking. He said: ‘The introduction of a beauty salon and the resulting street side parking of customers vehicles causes congestion and difficulty in traffic flow up and down the road, for neighbours leaving their drives (restricted viewing and manoeuvring) and resulting in safety issues and implications for pedestrians and cyclists.’

Samantha defended their business. ‘Over 70 per cent of our clients walk or use public transport and we definitely never park on the grass verges,’ she said.

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‘We have tried to do what we can to please our neighbours since beginning our application by restricting our working hours, which at times had been sporadic due to us trialling what works best around childcare and school.’

Lianne added: ‘Within the first week of the cabin being here objections were made but no one came to speak to us about it before, which was a shame.’

Samantha and Lianne are expecting an update on the application from Portsmouth City Council this week.