A Turkish restaurant looks set to abandon its plans for roof terrace dining after falling foul of city planners.
Ephesus in Preston Street applied last year for retrospective permission to use a flat roof above the restaurant for extra dining, and intall a retractable awning and glass screen.
But after objections from neighbours, the conservation advisory group and the council’s own heritage officer, the plans were withdrawn.
This followed a successful application in 2021 to turn the first floor, next to the flat roof, from a flat into a restaurant.
Now, it is asking permission to turn it back into a flat – but neighbours are unhappy it wants to keep the terrace, even for residential use.
The application includes plans which describe the flat roof as a terrace, and double doors leading out onto it.
The Regency Squares Community has commented, saying: “All of these unauthorised developments are now shown by the applicant as though ‘existing’ –
whilst technically true, it is only because the applicant has broken planning law to make these unauthorised changes exist.
“Once again we call out (as we did in the case of the applicant’s withdrawn application) that the applicant wants to achieve a roof terrace by stealth – roof terraces are not a feature of this conservation area.
“Such a roof terrace, with furniture and users visible above the existing parapet, would be detrimental to the setting of adjoined Grade II listed 79 Preston Street.”
When the restaurant first opened in 2014, it got into hot water with Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning department for putting up wooden panelling on the outside of the building.
An enforcement notice was served, and the cladding came down.
what a shame. Planning laws should be abolished and nobody should be allowed to object to proposals.
Great Turkish food here and a warm welcome. It’s a family favourite of ours.