Planners accused of stifling ‘vitality’

A planning application to transform a former opticians into a Carluccio’s restaurant was refused by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning officers in a meeting behind closed doors.

The restaurant company’s chief executive, Simon Kossoff, has revealed the firm is due to lodge an appeal against the decision by the end of the month.

He expressed his disappointment the application had been thrown out by the officers using delegated powers, and that his representatives had not been able to argue the case for the development in public before an actual planning committee meeting.

He added: “The officers do not appear to have understood the added vitality and economic benefits that the restaurant would have brought to the town.

“There is always an issue with a change of use from retail to a restaurant, but we have not encountered problems in other towns and cities which are similar to Harrogate, such as Chester and Leamington Spa.

“It is a shame that we are having to embark on a costly and lengthy legal challenge, but I am confident that we will win the appeal.”

The proposed venture in Harrogate’s Station Square would have been the third Carluccio’s to open in Yorkshire, with two restaurants already in Leeds. There are a total of 75 restaurants across the UK, with others in Ireland, Turkey and Dubai.

A council spokeswoman stressed the proposed site is in one of the town’s principal streets within a conservation area and the main shopping quarter.

She confirmed planning officers believed the new restaurant would have “diluted” the shopping district, and would not lead to an “improvement in the vitality and viability” of the area.

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