A local family have been left devastated with plans for their Wee Choo-Choo Thai restaurant once again up in smoke, as councillors voted against the addition to Pitlochry’s Rie-Achan Road car park.
Despite their efforts in gaining local support to establish a Thai restaurant beside the railway line, Fergus McCallum, his wife Isara and their 19-year-old daughter Mia have not been able to convince council leaders of their plans.
The Wee Choo-Choo is a restaurant concept which would see a total of 12 parking spaces in the town be replaced by two 1984 British Rail carriages – one a former first-class restaurant car and the other a first-class buffet car.
Launching a petition in September 2021 which has gained more than 1,221 signatures from the Perth and Kinross community, the McCallum’s applied through the petition’s policy to have the decision of the restaurant revisited by the local authority after six months.
Despite their best efforts presenting to a portion of the property sub-committee, the council decision reflected a vote of four to three to uphold their original verdict made in June that the planning application would not be granted.
Young entrepreneur left feeling helpless
Speaking to the McCallum family, Mia McCallum said she was “heartbroken” at the news.
She said: “Sadly the petition has not been listened to. We love our community and we love all the people in the community that have supported us so far.”
Her mum Isara is disappointed with the verdict and was sure the public support would have outlined the need for a unique dining concept like the Wee Choo-Choo.
“I just don’t understand with that strength in democracy, and the huge number of people supporting the project, how it has been upheld,” she added.
Fergus McCallum explained that it seemed to be a split down party lines at the meeting, but was confused as to why the Conservative representatives all voted against the plans put forward.
He commented: “It doesn’t make sense. This business would give my 19-year-old daughter a future. She wants to live here and cook phenomenal Thai food with her mother and run her own business for the next 50 years.”
The family felt the verdict was unreasonable after discovering that another business plan had previously been approved in the same area they were asking for in 2016.
Crippling financial impact on the family
With the coronavirus pandemic and investment into the train carriages, as well as the investment to gain an appeal, the beauty salon Mia and Isara owned and worked in for five years went bankrupt.
Two other businesses the family own have also gone into bankruptcy at the cost of Wee Choo-Choo.
With limited funds and the inability to borrow due to lack of consent, concerns are high as to whether they will be able to keep the train carriages.
What’s next for the McCallums?
Despite the major setback, the McCallum family are not willing to give up on their dream restaurant.
Fergus added: “I will have to make sure it happens one way or another, we are too financially deep in.
“We had to liquidate our companies to repurchase the carriages.
“My wife and daughter don’t want to move away. My wife loves Pitlochry and wants to live here and my daughter lives in Perthshire so we would not do that.”
“If they (the council) don’t listen to this (the petition hearing) we will have to accept it for the time being.
“However, we will wait until the election in May and hopefully when the new administration is formed we will try again.”
