Coffee roasting at Belford Mill gets the go ahead

An Arran coffee roasting facility located in the old Belford Mill premises in Whiting Bay has been given the go ahead by planers after an application was submitted by the Isle of Arran Coffee Company.

The application was for a change of use from retail to light commercial use. The business will entail the roasting of coffee beans and the packaging of beans into paper bags for local delivery.

Initially only roasting beans for one-half day a week, the process will be undertaken on a small scale roaster fitted with an afterburner to deal with smells, un-burnt components and dust particles which comply with international Environmental Protection Agency standards.

Following the statutory advertising of the application a three-page formal objection was submitted against the proposal, citing concerns regarding potential odours and emissions.

Citing a list of contraventions of the local development plan the complainer stated that they were not against a coffee roasting facility on the island, however they felt its location in a residential area was incompatible with residential and tourism activities in the area.

However, planning permission was granted on the condition that the applicant submit full details of the extraction system for the removal of odours and products of combustion and a written certification from a member of the Heating and Ventilation Contractors’ Association on the suitability of the system for the development.