A popular Aberdeen city centre bar has been told to take its outdoor marquee down.
Soul Bar on Union Street erected the structure, which contains heaters, for smokers and outdoor diners without planning permission two years ago.
And now bar bosses have been told they will need to apply for retrospective planning permission if they want it to be kept.
Yesterday members of the planning, development and management committee heard that officers were now seeking action against the bar.
In a report to councillors Robert Forbes, senior planning enforcement officer at the town house, writes: “A letter is to be issued to owner(s) asking for the marquee structure and associated fitments to be removed from site.”
But some councillors on the committee hit out at the plan, calling it “counter-productive” at a time when the authority was trying to attract more visitors to the city centre through its ambitious masterplan.
Midstocket and Rosemount member Bill Cormie questioned the need for the letter.
He said: “Surely we want to be attracting people to the city centre and Soul have put up a good heated area to do that. What is the reason behind this?”
He was joined by Torry and Ferryhill member Alan Donnelly.
He said: “We are representatives of the people and we shouldn’t be getting in the way of these things.
“Can we not take a common sense approach? The marquee is there partly to mitigate the smoking ban.
“Why do we as a council have to punish these people?”
Last night a manager at Soul bar declined to comment.
