The Barn Owl cafe in Silvan could be forced to close by Yarra Ranges Council

The owner of a longstanding family-friendly Yarra Ranges cafe has been told to shut it down after it was found to be operating illegally — even after she spent $60,000 to comply with a list of regulations the council gave her.

The Barn Owl cafe in Silvan has been told to close. Picture: Ian Currie

A popular Yarra Ranges cafe could be forced to close in September after the council ruled it had been operating illegally from a shed in a green wedge zone.

The Barn Owl’s owner Katie Wolff has been given less than two months to shut the family-friendly Silvan brunch spot — that has been serving customers for 10 years — with Yarra Ranges Council refusing to give her a permit to run the cafe because it is in a green wedge zone.

Ms Wolff is meeting with the council’s planning department later this month to see if they can find a solution, and has turned to social media to campaign for community support.

The ordeal started last year when the 26-year-old, who has operated the cafe for the past two years, was threatened with immediate closure and advised by the council the building she was leasing was registered as a shed and not a cafe.

Katie Wolff spent $60,000 to comply with council rules, to no avail. Picture: Stuart Milligan

Ms Wolff said she spent $60,000 to fix up the Park Rd building to the council’s standards — adhering to a list provided by the council, which she believed would save the cafe.

But her plans were scuppered when the planning department ruled she was operating out of the green wedge zone — which is not allowed.

The building is on a blueberry farm and has been running as a cafe for eight years before Ms Wolff leased the space.

“They rejected my permit in May and told me to revert it back to a shed and close,” she said.

But it’s not just Ms Wolff who will be affected when she closes with the cafe employing 11 people.

A petition to engage community support to keep the cafe open already has more than 6700 signatures.

Mum and daughter Ricky and Sarah said Ms Wolff had created a vibrant business and community hub that was safe for everyone.

“I suffer from PTSD, social anxiety and other health issues so I personally find it hard to be comfortable in public places but I know at The Barn Owl it is free of judgment and any one of the caring staff would drop what they’re doing to help me or anyone for that matter,” Ricky said.

“It would be devastating for Katie to lose something she has worked so hard on, staff that would possibly lose their employment and of course the community.”

Nearby suppliers Carter Bros Fruit & Veg Silvan owner BJ Carter said the closure would negatively affect both the community and their grocery business.

“Katie spends well over a couple of hundred (dollars) a week with us and it would be a real shame to close because of the zoning,” Mr Carter said.

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“It’s very popular, especially on the weekends with the footy on. You can go and grab a coffee or something to eat.

“A lot of people grab something to eat from the cafe and then come shopping to us.”

“If she was to close it would definitely affect us.”

Ms Wolff said she was meeting with the council at the end of the month in a final pitch to remain open.

Yarra Ranges social and economic development director James Collins said: “Council staff will be meeting with the business owner at the end of the month to find the best way forward to resolve any planning and building issues for the site.”