The mother of a one-year-old boy is worried they may lose their only fire exit if plans for a new north-east restaurant are approved.
Proposals to transform a former Royal Bank of Scotland branch into a food outlet on the High Street in Turriff were unveiled last month.
RBS pulled the plug on the outlet last summer after a fall in customers visiting the branch.
In a bid to give the building a new lease of life, Sava Estates submitted their proposals to create a “quality restaurant” with a small takeaway.
Documents prepared by Glasgow-based Bennett Developments and Consulting showed the bank’s empty vaults could be used for storage and waste collection.
But Rachel Gilbert, who lives above the former bank, is worried about the potential impact the development could have on her young family.
She fears she would lose her only fire exit and is worried about any noise coming from the restaurant.
In a letter objecting to the restaurant proposal, Miss Gilbert said: “I have one stairway out of my property and, if there was a fire in the kitchen of the proposed restaurant, I worry that, with a one-year old child, my only escape from the property would be gone.
“I imagine the noise levels will be a lot greater than the bank was and with a one-year-old who goes to bed at 7.30pm, this is not ideal.
“With the loud noise usually associated with a restaurant of this size until midnight, this will cause me and my family to lose sleep.”
Miss Gilbert is worried about the smell coming from the restaurant, a loss of privacy in her garden, drainage issues, vermin being attracted to the building, a lack of parking and the possibility of the smell from the restaurant wafting into her own home.
She also believes she should have been consulted about the plans by Sava Estates and said it was “very odd” they had not contacted her.
Miss Gilbert is not the only objector, with three other people writing to the council to question the need for a new restaurant in Turriff.
A supporting statement submitted alongside the restaurant said it would offer a “new dining experience” to Turriff.
It said: “The restaurant will bring activity into the area and in the evenings and the winter… and contribute to the wellbeing so essential if the town centre is to be enjoyed.”
