Broughty Ferry councillor Laurie Bidwell hopes the Glass Pavilion restaurant can now be left for people to enjoy and admire.
He was speaking after councillors on Monday decided by 15 votes to 13 to reject a plan to surround it with six flats.
They would have been built around, behind and above the listed art deco structure, and were recommended for approval by city development director Mike Galloway.
The planning chief accepted the proposal was contrary to the development plan, but believed there were material considerations to justify approval.
Mr Bidwell disagreed and said the flats would dwarf the former bathing shelter in the Esplanade that locals and visitors alike consider has an iconic status.
Fellow Ferry councillor Derek Scott agreed.
Mr Bidwell considered the relaxation of the parking requirements for the site were not justified by the likely socioeconomic status of the owners or tenants of the new apartments.
“The most likely occupants will be multiple car-owning households, and customers of the existing Glass Pavilion restaurant would be competing for parking spaces with residents,” he said.
“Parking spaces would be further constrained by requiring no parking on the street close to the proposed new side entry to the rear of the existing restaurant.”
He believed the integrity of the old bathing shelter and the glass-covered atrium and the fencing and gateway adjacent to the pavement had been ignored and treated as disposable.
“It is a source of regret that the complete existing structure was not listed for its created form what many people think is an iconic building.
“Unspecified changes to the existing glass roof of the restaurant and the removal of the front fencing a helpful wind barrier for restaurant customers who like al fresco dining would be unwelcome.
“In my opinion, the new development would compromise the integrity of the listed and the complete existing structure of the Glass Pavilion. The proposed development is an overly intensive one for the scale of the site.”
He added: “I hope this decision to refuse permission for this development means that we can continue to enjoy using and admiring the elegant Glass Pavilion building on The Esplanade.”
Broughty Ferry Community Council also opposed the proposal, and its planning secretary David Hewick said: “We are pleased that this damaging application has been refused by the council. Obviously, we consider that, in this case, the planners’ recommendation for approval was wrong.
“However, the applicant has three months to make an appeal, which allows an independent planning expert to assess the proposal and reverse the refusal if it is merited.”