RESIDENTS have voiced concerns for waste and vermin after plans to convert a vacant shop in Tillicoultry into a restaurant were submitted to Clacks Council.

A planning application was put forward to the local authority with aims to turn the property on 71 High Street into a restaurant.

The store, formerly Bonello Chocolatier, has been empty since 2019, with fresh plans to convert the site into a Class 3 food and drink property.

The plans state: “Planning application for change of use from Class 1A shop to Class 3 restaurant with full cooking with ventilation taken through existing internal flue and all associated site works.”

Bonello Chocolatier operated on Tillicoultry’s High Street for a number of years before switching to an online store five years ago.

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Citing a change in shopping habits, Bonello’s closed their doors at the end of October in 2019, leaving the store empty.

However, residents have lodged objections to the plans, explaining that the site is not adequately equipped to deal with food waste.

Ms Stacey Lange lives upstairs in 71b High Street and submitted a written objection to the plans regarding waste and vermin concerns.

She said: “Planning application is not clear on how restaurant waste will be dealt with.

“There is no communal storage or land with 71 High Street and the dwellings above (71a and b).

“The dwellings share the land and the shop has right to access but no place for bins etc. Safe disposal of food waste to prevent vermin is paramount.

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“We also have children and animals that use the dwellings’ exterior communal spaces in the garden so safety is a concern also.

“Other concerns include parking implications on an already busy street, noise, food smells and unsociable hours.”

R Ogston, of 67 High Street, didn’t wholly object to the plans, but expressed concerns that the restaurant would be a takeaway.

The number of takeaway restaurants in the Wee County is a topic of contention for residents, with many fearing the high streets are becoming too takeaway-focused.

They added: “I don’t really object as long as it is a restaurant and not a takeaway. Another takeaway would not be welcome.”