A DECISION to deny retrospective planning permission for a popular Greenock cafe despite the proposal receiving no objections from neighbours has been dramatically overturned by councillors.
Cafe owner Danny Knox took over a former bookmakers on Dunlop Street in 2022 and transformed the shop into the Barrs Cottage Cafe, but the local businessman was unaware he needed to submit a change-of-use application to do so.
After discovering his mistake, Mr Knox applied for backdated permission, but was turned down by council officials.
But that decision was overturned at a meeting of the council’s Local Review Body on Wednesday.
The decision means that the cafe, which was initially denied permission due to concerns about the adverse impact cooking odours could have on its neighbours, can now operate.
Mr Knox, who has terminal cancer, told the Telegraph in 2023 that the refusal had shocked him because the premises had attracted no opposition.
Councillor Jim Clocherty, a Local Review Body member, highlighted this fact in his contribution to Wednesday’s meeting.
He said: “Very seldom do you get a café or a carry out shop without their neighbours having multiple objections, that’s not the case with this one.
“This looks as if it’s an enhancement to the area and I honestly can’t see any reason why we wouldn’t grant this upon review subject to the conditions.
“This person seems to have a good relationship with their neighbours and seems to have went above and beyond to make sure they do that.”
Fellow Review Body member councillor John Crowther added: “One thing that I do notice is that in the Barrs Cottage area we do have two other takeaways. The extraction systems for them I would imagine would be much more dated than the extraction systems that would be in this new property.
“Accordingly, I do not have any objections to make to the granting of the licence to the proprietor.”
Councillors agreed to grant permission for the cafe to operate subject to two conditions.
They require the business to submit exact details and specifications of the venue’s ventilation and extraction systems, as well as odour mitigation measures, within the next two months and for the premises not to operate between 11pm and 7am on any given day.
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