New plans to open a restaurant in Baillieston have been launched after the developer’s bid to run a takeaway was thrown out amid claims there are too many in the area.
Council planners rejected Mohsin Haq’s efforts to turn a shop at 29 Main Street into a takeaway but the applicant has now returned with a fresh proposal.
He believes his plan to open a sit-in restaurant deals with concerns raised around the previous application. Planning officials had ruled the initial proposal would be detrimental to the area and to residential amenity.
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There had been opposition to that plan from former councillor Elaine Ballantyne, and Baillieston Community Council. Cllr Ballantyne had said there was a “major overprovision of takeaways” on Main Street and said another one would cause parking problems.
Stephen Love, from the community council, said members would prefer to reduce the number of takeaways. “It goes against health and well being and doesn’t help with obesity,” he added.
Mr Haq has now applied to change the shop into a restaurant, with a car park, and believes the current proposal alleviates the original concerns.
His application stated: “A private car park has been formed on adjacent land owned by the applicant to service the new restaurant to ensure all parking is off street and does not cause parking issues to the existing street.
“These proposals are not for hot food takeaway, the proposals are for a sit-in restaurant. The development should not lead to additional litter given the sit-in nature of the proposals.”
It added his plans would provide “an option not currently available on Main Street to residents”.
The application reveals the upper storey of the property will also form part of the restaurant, removing “any clash” in “regards to a residential property above”. “We would argue now the proposals should now be ‘considered favourably’ given they do not have an ‘unacceptable effect on residential amenity’.”
Mr Haq appealed against the decision to refuse the initial application but it was rejected by the planning local review committee.
