Kohe Noor court case delayed

The trial of two Angus takeaway owners facing criminal prosecution over changes to their premises in Brechin’s conservation area has been delayed until later this year.

Mohammed Ghafoor and Ijaz Hussain have denied a charge brought under planning legislation over alterations to the facade of the Kohe Noor at St David Street in Brechin.

It alleges that, as owners of land at 20-22 St David Street and having been served with an enforcement notice by Angus Council on November 26 2015, requiring them to remove shopfront signage and white paint from the building’s mortar, they failed to comply with the notice in March 2016.

The offence is said to be contrary to the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

Ghafoor, 48, of Laws Place, Monifieth and Hussain, 36, from William Street, Dundee appeared at the latest calling of the case before Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown at Forfar to confirm not guilty pleas.

The matter had been due to go to trial early next month but the court heard that an essential Crown witness was not available at that time.

A fresh trial date of August 4 was set, with an intermediate diet scheduled for July 11.

Matters relating to the C-listed property came before Angus development standards committee as part of the regular enforcement cases review before the matter was reported to the procurator fiscal.