A restaurant boss has spoken of his delight after plans to demolish his former premises and build new housing were given the green light.
David Waddington was speaking after Lancaster City Council planning committee approved the proposal for five new houses at the former MiaItalia at Bolton-le-Sands.
Mr Waddington, who closed the Bolton-le-Sands restaurant then moved the business to Morecambe town centre earlier this year, was at Morecambe Town Hall to see councillors vote by a majority of 10 to four in favour of the scheme.
He said afterwards that he was "really pleased" at the outcome.
LISTEN to our interview with David Waddington from Miaitalia
"There have been interested parties for the houses for some time now, which shows a clear demand for new homes in Bolton-le-Sands," he said.
"I’ve no doubt the development will be a great addition to the village.”
The majority vote from the committee of 14 councillors went against the advice of council officers, who said a more "robust marketing exercise" needed to take place to prove the Bye-Pass Road premises (pictured below) was no longer viable as a restaurant.
They said a planning policy (DM56) called for applicants to "provide compelling and detailed evidence" when wanting to demolish buildings that have previously provided a local service.
Committee members were split in their opinions at Monday's meeting, when the decision to grant planning permission was made.
Councillor Dave Brookes, of the Greens, proposed that the demolition of the former Hawthorne House should be agreed, which was seconded by his colleague Councillor Jack Lenox.
Councillor Brookes said: "There's absolutely no evidence that the community values this facility or objected to its loss in any way."
His Green colleague, Councillor Kevin Frea, agreed, saying the former Miaitalia was "on a main road where there are other restaurants"
But Councillor Robert Redfern, of Labour, said he would not support planning permission, concerned it would set a precedent for other developers.
"We've got to be very careful what we're doing here," he warned his fellow councillors.
Councillor Colin Hartley, also of Labour, said the issue was "finely balanced".
"The applicant says there is little or no interest in it being a restaurant," he said.
"It doesn't say, definitely not. There is some interest, and I want to see it tested."
After a show of hands, the committee voted by a majority in favour of the application.
Planning committee member Councillor Keith Budden did not vote or take part in the discussions, having declared an interest.
Mr Waddington said he was "really pleased the committee members could see the merits of the application - a sustainable development on a brownfield site, to which there had been no objections".
"We’re also glad the committee could see that the officer advice had been followed, including a pre-app meeting in August, where the officer recommended a change of use application to residential use, which was approved this October," he said.
"That, by the officer’s suggestion, removed the relevance of policy DM56 and that was further supported when a committee member noted that it made no sense to ask us to spend further money on a conversion, to then demolish the property thereafter.
"We provided evidence of marketing, which several committee members were able to agree doesn’t necessarily mean having an advertising board at roadside.
"The development is both well laid out and sympathetic to its surroundings, with a good mix of two, three and four bedroom homes."
Related Story: Further talks due on plans to demolish former Italian restaurant for housing - Beyond Radio
The new Miaitalia restaurant (pictured below) opened on Queen Street in Morecambe in May. Mr Waddington also runs an Italian ice cream (gelato) parlour and cafe across the road called Miogelato.
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