Shop owner wins fight to build flat above premises despite structure concerns in West Barns

A village shop owner has been given the go ahead to build accommodation above his premises despite concerns the structure is not strong enough to cope.

Irfan Khan, who runs West Barns village shop, in East Lothian, had applied for permission to extend the roof of the single storey building and create a one-bedroom flat in it.

And at a meeting of East Lothian Council’s planning committee this week the plans were unanimously backed despite objections from the local community council.

Jacquie Bell, representing West Barns Community Council said that while the village shop was a ‘valued community resource’ there were concerns over the proposed extension.

She told the committee: “The community council has a number of concerns, one is whether the structure is strong enough to withstand the weight of the extension.”

The meeting heard the shop owner, who currently travelled to the store from Edinburgh, would be living in the flat above the premises once built.

The committee was told by planning officers that concerns over the shop’s ability to cope with the addition were a building standards issue and not a concern for the committee.

Other concerns over a lack of parking were dismissed by planning officers after the council’s roads department ruled a parking bay used for the shop to the side of the store, which would be reassigned to the flat, would be enough.

And they said there was enough public transport to encourage the occupant of the flat to use other ways to travel.

Although no objections were lodged by members of the public, the community council raised concerns over the lack of parking and safety on the road for pedestrians after it was approached by local residents.

And local ward councillor Donna Collins called the application in to be decided by the committee after local residents raised issues with her.

Councillor Collins said her concerns had been answered by officers while planning convenor Norman Hampshire said the extension would improve the shop.

He said: “I think it is an improvement to the shop building which is not currently very attractive.”

And Councillor Shona McIntosh welcomed the decision by officers to take public transport into account when it came to the number of parking spaces required.

She added: “From a parking point if the flat is going to be occupied by the shop owner who currently travels from Edinburgh, it will be the same car parking outside the shop. I do not see any issue with this.”

The committee unanimously supported the planning application.