Fish and chip shop plans rejected over smell fears

Plans for a city centre's fish and chip shop in a Kent town have been rejected after its extraction fan system was deemed insufficient.

Last year Shawarma Bros revealed plans to take over the empty building on Canterbury High Street which had been home to Kaspa's Desserts for eight years.

Its first proposal for the Grade II-listed site was withdrawn as the company acknowledged improvements could be made, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A further application for the scheme submitted in October has been rejected by planning officers at Canterbury City Council (CCC).

This redesigned scheme included an extraction system which would have discharged cooking smells through a grate in the side of the building.

In his report refusing permission for the works, the deciding officer said the proposed extraction flue would "fail to properly disperse odours to the detriment of neighbouring amenity".

The Canterbury Society also objected to the application, arguing that a "fish and chip shop use fails to enhance the character of the area".

CCC's heritage department raised an objection to the listed building consent required for the works, while the council's environmental health team said the location of the extraction flue would not adequately disperse smells from cooking.

Shawarma Bros wrote in its application that the scheme would reduce the scale, bulk, and termination point of the proposed kitchen extraction flue at Fish Bros.

The company, which already runs a Middle East-inspired food kiosk in Waterloo, London, has been contacted for comment.

An application for a separate premises licence for the site submitted to CCC has yet to be decided.

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