Plockton cafe given the go-ahead despite fears

A PLOCKTON business’s bid for retrospective permission to operate as a café has been approved – despite strong objections from the local community.

Dozens of people objected to the plan by Baoighill Aoigheachd Ltd at 12 Harbour Street. Permission was given in 2010 for the ground floor to be used as a shop, with the upstairs acting as a home for staff running the business below.

But Highland Council planners said a series of reports were lodged between October last year and this June claiming it was in breach of planning conditions by operating a café from the ground floor and Airbnb holiday rental space upstairs.

Baoighill Aoigheachd then lodged a change of use application which will now enable it to continue operating the restaurant and holiday let facilities.

In their approval recommendation, council planners acknowledged "significant concerns within the community" adding that "many of the comments relate to the manner in which the applicant has engaged with the planning process, are speculative to what could occur in the future or are not material considerations".

A report said change of use to a café, operating within what are considered reasonable opening hours with a holiday letting above, "are not considered to pose a significantly greater threat to amenity than the current established uses of a retail outlet with manager’s flat above".

Dingwall councillor Margaret Paterson said it was "one of the worst applications I’ve read through for a while".

She said: "The applicant must have known he needed planning permission. If it wasn’t retrospective, it would be up for refusal."

North planning committee chairwoman Maxine Smith said the council would be on "shaky ground" if it refused.

Objecting householders claimed a breach of planning permission, said it was an unsuitable location for a café and had traffic implications.

The community council claimed the applicant had contravened a number of planning constraints.

It said: "The current application seeks to directly overturn several of the constraints that currently apply. Given that these constraints were designed to limit the impact on residential properties, it follows that their removal will increase the impact on residential properties."

In a design statement on behalf of Baoighill Aoigheachd, ABIR Architects claimed that the café catered to people who were already visiting the village and that this meant there would not be an increase in vehicle movements.