A COUPLE'S planning bid which cooked up a storm in Addingham is likely to get a roasting from planning bosses today.

Ben and Vanessa Wood want to convert a house at 150 Main Street into a 24-seater restaurant with a flat above.

The application caused a row in the village and Jayne Barrett, who lives next door to the property, organised a petition against the plan.

It was also opposed by Addingham Civic Society and Addingham Parish Council on the grounds of lack of car parking spaces, lack of fire precautions and concern over smelly fumes invading nearby properties.

Miss Barrett told the Gazette: "There are lots of reasons why everyone should be against it, the main one being the increase in traffic and there is nowhere for additional reasons to park.

"Main Street is narrow, very busy, noisy and becoming increasingly dangerous because of motorists exceeding the speed limit. More cars would just exacerbate an already bad situation."

Miss Barrett, who organised a petition against the eaterie plan, threatened to move house if it was allowed to go ahead.

"If this plan goes ahead, I will definitely be moving out," she said.

But the couple who submitted the restaurant plan, Ben and Vanessa Wood, claimed it had support in the village.

Mrs Wood said: "We want to open a restaurant for the village, for people living around here to walk to."

She said that the premises would be soundproofed and a large extraction unit would prevent smells being wafted to surrounding properties.

The Woods, both 28, of Low Mill, said they would organise their own petition in support of their application.

The property is in the heart of Addingham village opposite a row of shops and the Memorial Hall, next to a vacant shop and the Fleece public house.

A report to today's Keighley area planning panel says that the petition objecting to the plan contained 26 names while the petition in support was signed by 147 people.

But despite there being more support than opposition for the restaurant idea, planning officers say the plan should be turned down.

In a report to the panel, planning officer Colin Waggett says: "In this case it is concluded that the proposed change of use could have the potential to cause significant loss of residential amenity for neighbours.

"Therefore, it is recommended that the proposal be refused for the reason set out below."

Officers fear that while the Woods' plan itself would not cause major problems for neighbours, planning laws could not prevent the business expanding in the future, perhaps under new ownership, to a degree that would be less acceptable to people living in surrounding properties.

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