PLANS to launch a hot food takeaway in Tillicoultry have been approved by the council, with conditions and despite objections by residents.

Eros Retail has been seeking to sub-divide its Greens of Tillicoultry premises, utilising a vacant part of the shop to form a takeaway and install an external ventilation flue.

The application process was started last August and was approved by the local authority this month, following alterations to the plans.

On balance, planning officers have concluded that, subject to three conditions, the development would not be contrary to the council's Local Development Plan.

However, the plans received 16 objections throughout the application process amid concerns by the roads department at the local authority.

Some neighbours were concerned over parking around the area and this was echoed by transportation officers, who advised that the takeaway would "likely to add to parking demand on Hill Street which is expected to be short term and high turnover".

Council documents added: "This often leads to drivers parking as close to the entrance of possible.

"Hill Street is known to accommodate high demand for on street parking mostly by residents with this demand increasing in the evening.

"They [Roads and Transportation] doubt driving customers would use the private car park which serves the building.

"The parking demand associated with the use on this section of Hill Street would not be welcomed."

However, planning officers said the increased parking demand "would not be sufficiently adverse on its own to justify withholding permission" for a number of reasons.

The site is within a town centre area with a number of commercial premises which generate demand without providing off street parking and with town centre areas "it is generally not considered reasonable or justifiable to restrict the use of such premises even though demand may exceed supply at times".

Some were also concerned about nuisance from odour and noise from equipment designed to control emissions.

The amended design for ventilation at the takeaway will see the flue terminate above the top of the highest windows in neighbouring properties and the conditions attached to the permission seek to eliminate nuisance risks.

One objector said the site is in a "predominately residential area" and the proposal amounts to "overdevelopment" while affecting the privacy of neighbours.

However, planning officers pointed out in their report that the site has been a shop for many years, the property to the south is also commercial and used to be a bistro before it became an office.

The report added: "The area around the site is considered to be mixed use in character before becoming residential further to the north.

"It is also included as part of the town centre area as defined by the Local Development Plan.

"Given there are no premises opposite the proposed entrance, the development is not considered to adversely affect the existing standards of privacy of neighbours."