The go-ahead has been given for a cafe to be built in a coastal village caravan park.
However, it took the casting vote of the chairman of Moray Council planning and regulatory services committee David Bremner for the eatery at Hopeman to get approval.
During the discussion over the application, which lasted for around an hour-and-a-half, some members raised concerns that the development would cause safety issues with an increase in traffic to the site at the West Beach Caravan Park.
The caravan park can only be accessed via the village’s Harbour Street, which can have problems with congestion.
It was also felt the two-storey building was not in keeping with the character of the village, and that the 13 parking bays, including two for those with mobility problems, was not enough.
However, officers explained around 80% of the cafe’s trade was expected to come from the caravan park, and as the height of the building was 18ft it was smaller than most houses.
A total of 463 representations were received on the application, 401 in favour, 61 objections and one neutral response.
Conservative councillor for Fochabers Lhanbryde Marc Macrae put forward a motion to go with officer recommendations to approve the cafe, and was seconded by Mr Bremner, who is SNP councillor for the same ward.
Mr Macrae said: “We have to recognise the many people who have put in representations of support who are using the current facilities.
“We are a council of economic development we’re trying to come out of a pandemic, levelling up, building back stronger and encouraging employment.”
Conservative councillor for Elgin North Frank Brown opposed the development, and was seconded by Conservative councillor for Forres Claire Feaver.
They felt the proposal did not fit in with the site, which is a special landscape area, had a flat roof as opposed to a pitched one and that it did not sit well with the scale and density of the surrounding buildings or Hopeman as a whole.
Concerns were also raised over whether there would be safe access to and from the site to the road network.
Mr Brown said: “It seems to me, colleagues, that these are important elements that we have to consider whether or not it’s right and popper to approve, or not, this application.
“We have every right to challenge those assumptions and to draw our own conclusions based on the evidence.”
Hopeman cafe vote split
Both the motion and amendment received five votes, with Mr Bremner casting his deciding vote for the development.
The application for the cafe was put forward by Barry and Ruth Scott.
It includes capacity for 12 tables inside and a further 12 outdoors on a veranda and balcony.
