Council veto St Andrews restaurant bid for ‘European style’ outdoor seating

The restaurant currently has an outdoor seating area at its front. This arrangement will last until April 2021.

However, the rejected application wanted it to be  permanent with the  addition of canopies and barriers

Cllr Brian Thompson said he was fully supportive of the efforts businesses are making during the pandemic, but raised issues with the loss of light down an already narrow lane.

He also commented that the council spent a ‘significant amount of money’ repaving it only a couple of years ago with funding from the Pilgrim Foundation.

Cllr Thompson said that if the application was approved the public “would not get the benefit of what I would regard as quite a valuable open space within the town centre.”

Cllr Ann Verner also commented that the lane is a busy thoroughfare and there is “no way you could be socially distanced coming through there.”

Cllr Thompson raised a  motion to refuse the application seconded by Cllr Docherty.

Cllr MacDiarmid raised an amendment to move an approval, saying the proposals would make the town ‘very european looking’ and ‘very attractive’ which would be ‘a massive improvement’ to Logies Lane.

He added: “Businesses are only trying to move forward during this difficult time and I’m fully supportive of the application.”

The vote was tied at six each.

Convener, Cllr Donald Lothian, went with the motion and the application was refused

Hannah Brown , Local Democracy Reporting Service