No Tears or Fears: Pub Shelter

Scottish Ministers has allowed an appeal by pearson planning, chartered surveyors for a proposal to demolish a smoking shelter and construct a rear extension to a public house, in Broxburn. Labour councillors voted to refuse planning permission on the advice of the Environmental Health Officer, that the extension would generate noise nuisance to the deteriment of residential amenity.

The public house, in the Town Centre, has new owners, intent on renovating and expanding the premises, including a beer garden. The local authority licenced the landlord to sell alcohol for consumption in the beer garden. the proposed extension is fully enclosed, so as to allow indoor table service in the winter. Environmental Health did not object to the granting of the licence. There is no record of any complaints about noise from the pub, to the local authority, as feared.

The Appointed Person accepted the arguments and evidence presented by Pearson Planning, Chartered Surveyors, granting conditional planning permission. The Environmental Health Officer, Parsler, is left ‘crying into her beer’ back in Tullibody.