Neighbours say rejected plans to transform the former Jessie’s Kitchen building into luxury holiday apartments could lead to alcohol fuelled ‘sing-songs’ as the Broughty Ferry row rumbles on.
An application was first submitted to Dundee City Council last year seeking permission to create 13 self-catering apartments at Broomhall House on Albert Road.
This included proposals to convert the Victorian conservatory into a dining room and piano lounge for guests to use.
Local property developer Jennifer Olivier is behind the application.
The category B-listed building was most recently in use as a coffee shop, Jessie’s Kitchen, which shut in summer 2022.
‘Extra noise would obviously be an issue’
However, in January the local authority’s planning committee voted to refuse permission for the proposal – citing fears it would be “detrimental” to the community.
The developer subsequently lodged an appeal with the Scottish Government seeking to overturn the refusal.
As part of this process, locals can submit their objections to the application for government planning officers to consider.
Among those who have written to the reporter handling in the case is John and Pauline Baruffati.
In an email, they raised concerns the proposed piano lounge would “surely lead to ‘sing-songs’, perhaps fuelled by alcohol”.
They called for the appeal to be rejected, adding: “(It’s) all good fun in the right location, but surely not in a quiet, residential area.”
Fiona Haldane also submitted an objection to the plans and flagged the issues she had with the lounge.
She wrote: “A piano lounge would surely be an encouragement for the space to be used for parties and celebrations where music would be a large part of the occasion.
“Extra noise would obviously be an issue in these circumstances which may be in contravention to the noise evaluation report.”
Meanwhile, an email sent on behalf of Teri Brown, James Brown and Wendy Turriff outlined theirs fears over possible anti-social behaviour.
They wrote: “Event-related alcohol consumption is a major departure from the previous café model, which operated without such permissions.
“The possibility of other recreational substances being used at events—especially during late hours—raises serious concerns about resident safety, antisocial behaviour, and disruption.”
Developer previously hit back
Speaking at January’s committee meeting, the developer pushed back on the claim her proposals would lead to anti-social behaviour.
Addressing councillors, she said: “I wouldn’t want to bring something trashy to Broughty Ferry.
“I want to bring something beautiful, something high-end – something that suits and sustains the building.”
The appeal is due to be determined by May 28.
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