Dundee risks torpedoing its future economic development with “unfortunate” decision making, a concerned city councillor has warned.
Lib Dem Councillor Fraser Macpherson felt moved to speak out after members of the city’s licensing board blocked plans for a £1 million restaurant and cocktail bar.
Glasgow-based developer Cosmo Molinaro has already made a huge a financial investment in an effort to create Dundee’s finest eatery.
His bid to secure an alcohol licence for his “high end” Caird Rest concept which has transformed a deteriorating B-listed building was however rejected last week.
Councillors said they were concerned by the arrival of another “pub” in the city centre, but Mr Macpherson said the decision was short sighted and counterproductive.
He also revealed that said the board’s decision had left city residents equally bamboozled, resulting in an unprecedented flood of letters from constituents.
“This decision is very unfortunate,” Mr Macpherson said.
“It is not in the interests of the city’s economic growth, nor Dundee’s aspiration to have more top destination venues that will be attractive to the thousands of visitors that will come to Dundee and visit the V&A at Dundee when it is opened.”
The councillor, who is not a member of the licensing board, said he understood the need for an alcohol “overprovision” policy, but said it should be used only as a guide.
He agreed with Labour councillor Lesley Brennan who was the sole board member to back the Caird Rest project that exceptions should be made when “high quality applications come forward”.
He said such freedom was vital to “ensure the growing quality of venues for local people and for visitors to the city”.
The Caird Rest building, on the city’s Nethergate, is in Mr Macpherson’s West End ward and he has written to licensing officers to question the decision.
“It is very unusual for me to get a flurry of complaints from constituents about a licensing board decision but that is exactly what has happened over the past few days,” he said.
“Constituents are genuinely perplexed but this decision that they feel is not in the interests of Dundee’s visitor offering.
“I really don’t think this should be the end of the road for this application.
“Dundee needs more facilities like the proposed Caird Bar and Grill and the decision taken last week was therefore extremely unfortunate.”
Mr Molinaro wants the historic Caird Rest building to become an exclusive two-level venue capable of attracting visitors in its own right.
The upper floor would become a “high end” Mediterranean restaurant that he intends to outshine any other in the city, while the lower floor would be a cocktail bar.
Mr Molinaro has declined to comment upon the board’s decision as he considers his next step.