Café being proposed for Portknockie
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A fresh bid will be made on Wednesday to permission to build a café in Portknockie beside the Moray Coastal Trail.
The application seeks to turn an empty builder's yard on Patrol Road into a café to cater for locals as well as visitors to Bow Fiddle Rock.
It was originally turned down in June by a Moray Council planning officer.
The officer made the decision using delegated powers which were in force while the local authority's planning committee was suspended due to the pandemic.
However, the matter will be heard on Wednesday by the Moray Local Review Body, which deals with planning appeals.
The Kinloss-based firm 1 Architects has prepared a report for the appeal.
They say: "The highly-popular Moray Coastal Trail runs through Portknockie, and passes alongside this site.
"Very close by is the major tourist attraction of Bow Fiddle Rock.
"Particularly in summer, but to some extent all year round, there are visitors spending long periods walking in the open air, and who would appreciate somewhere to sit down and take refreshments.
"There are no facilities for visitors adjacent to the Coastal Path anywhere in Portknockie.
"Our client wishes to provide such a facility in the form of a simple café serving plain local food and drink immediately adjacent to the coastal path.
"Our client is a retired local builder who was born in Portknockie and has lived here all his life.
"He has owned and used this site for many years, and has witnessed over that time the constant requests from walkers on the Coastal Path for directions to the nearest café.
"It has become increasingly apparent to him that there is a strong demand for this facility, and we believe that this location is very well-suited.
"We further understand that there is strong local support for this proposal."
One reason the application to build the café was originally turned down was due to the proposed style of its roof.
That, say 1 Architects, has now been altered.
Their report to Wednesday's meeting adds: "Originally the café had a hipped roof similar to some traditional buildings found already in Portknockie, but at the request of the planning department we have changed that to a pitched gable roof.
"We have also incorporated stone skews to more closely reflect the prevalent local roof style."
The section of Patrol Road where the café is planned features several small workshops – and this was a further reason for the original refusal in June.
The officer pointed out that the council had previously marked this part of the village as an area for industrial use.
This could not be changed except when an application involved redeveloping the whole area, rather than just a part.
On behalf of their client, 1 Architects are asking for this approach to be reconsidered.
Their report says: "If you impose the 'whole site' condition, no improvements will ever be made, and that is surely the exact opposite of what Moray Council wants.
"The council presumably wishes to enable sustainable and sensible developments that benefit the community ... not make them impossible.
"It is likely that this policy was developed with other sites in mind, and is not appropriate for this situation."
