The Glass Pavilion restaurant risks becoming known as the “Concrete Pavilion” if flats are added to it, Broughty Ferry community council has claimed.
It is pleading for a developer’s appeal against the refusal of planning permission for six flats at the prominent building on the Esplanade to be rejected.
In a letter to the Scottish Government’s planning inquiry unit, community council planning secretary David Hewick said the Glass Pavilion’s distinctive design had made it “something of an icon” since it was created out of a dilapidated beach shelter.
He said: “We feel the owner may be more concerned with treating the site as a residential development opportunity and not concentrating sufficiently on making a success of the restaurant.
“It has one of the most enviable locations for a restaurant in Dundee, however, there seems to have been a history of patchy management. It must be mentioned that the most recent tenant manager appears to be greatly improving things, despite what must be the disconcerting threat of imminent major development upheavals.”
Mr Hewick said developers Perth Road Investments were arguing a precedent had been set by the city council granting planning permission for flats on an adjacent site.
“The flats to the east replace a mediocre building that was a night club, unpopular with local residents as it had a deleterious effect on their amenity. The proposed flats will damage a well-loved local listed building and disrupt the viability of an ideally-placed restaurant business.”
He said consent had been granted previously for holiday flats above the restaurant but this development was not pursued. A successful appeal would see the creation of a building of a considerably greater volume and mass.
“The result is that the much greater damage will be done to the character of the building, which would be more aptly renamed the Concrete Pavilion.”
Acting on behalf of Perth Road Investments, their agents Derek Scott said the views of the community council should “carry no weight whatsoever” as permission was already in place for the “very similar” holiday flats.
The company added: “The listed building will continue to have architectural and historic merit following the proposed development works which have been carefully designed to respect that said listed building.
“Whilst it is accepted that new build flats are not supported in the suburban areas of the local plan, this particular site lies just outside the central Broughty Ferry area where such flats are accepted.
“It is evidently clear from our responses to the community council’s grounds of objections that there are no legitimate reasons for opposing our client’s planning application.”
A Scottish Government reporter will be appointed to decide on the appeal. A target date of early February has been set.