Subway gets go-ahead in Elgin

Councillors have given the go-ahead for a Subway sandwich shop and drive-through in Elgin.

The move made by members of Moray Council local review body went against a previous decision to refuse the application.

However, following an appeal, councillors today unanimously agreed the proposals for the shop at 4 Riverside Road on the eastern outskirts of Elgin close to the A96.

Officers recommended the application be refused.

Their reasoning was that the site was reserved for industrial use in the council's local development plan and it would reduce the amount of employment land available in the town.

However, councillor Aaron McLean (Forres, SNP) said: "There are other businesses there KFC, Costa Coffee and further down we’ve got Grampian Furnishers that has a café as well.

"I think this would be in keeping with the existing businesses."

Cllr Donald Gatt (Keith and Cullen, Conservative) stated his belief that, as the sandwich shop and drive-through would provide 16 jobs, it was an acceptable departure from the local plan.

He said: "This creates eight full-time and eight part-time jobs and that’s the bottom line for me.

"Given what’s gone on before in that area this would be a complementary business."

He was then advised that the site had been identified for industrial use with the potential to accommodate higher skilled jobs.

Cllr Gatt replied: "How long do you wait for an opportunity for those jobs to be forthcoming.

"We could be waiting years or it might not happen at all. Some employment is better than no employment in my book."

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