Banff and Buchan councillors are today set to reject plans to convert a popular Gardenstown restaurant due to flood fears.
The owner of the coastal village’s Harbour Restaurant, Moira Patterson, has applied to turn her premises into a one bedroom holiday let accommodation.
But senior Aberdeenshire Council planning officials have recommended to the committee that Mrs Patterson’s application be refused.
A dispute has arisen over the whether or not the Harbour Restaurant – which was awarded online review site TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence 2014 – is at risk of flooding.
The site is next to a Scottish Environmental Protection Agency ‘1 in 200 year’ flood zone, with a 0.5% annual chance of flooding.
Although Mrs Patterson’s representatives have shown that the restaurant’s floors are more than 13ft above the water level which could be reached by extreme water, they cannot afford to carry out a new Flood Risk Assessment.
In a report to councillors, the local authority’s planning chief Stephen Archer said: “The proposal fails to demonstrate that the proposed residential use would not be at risk of coastal flooding.
“Consequently the planning service is not in a position to support this application.”
Aberdeenshire Council received several letters from members of the public both supporting and objecting to the plans.
A former restaurateur based in Gardenstown, Mrs Sally Givertz, said: “I support this application because I can appreciate that an unlicensed lock-up with almost no parking and a maximum of 14 seats will always struggle to make a profit.
“The Harbour Restaurant will be sadly missed and has made an outstanding contribution to the village but I doubt that any potential buyer would take it on as a going concern.”
But some local residents objected to closing what remains a popular catering facility for locals and holiday makers.
Colin Wallek, from neighbouring Harbour Lane, wrote: “This would be a real problem for Gardenstown in general, this restaurant is part of Gardenstown and is well known all over Europe, it is also one of the very few commercial enterprises left.
“This would be taking away a very important part of the Gardenstown harbour character and attraction.”
Mrs Patterson’s application will be considered at today’s Banff and Buchan Area Committee, held in Fraserburgh’s Community Sports Centre.