Popular Glasgow café may have to tear down beer garden as decking faces refusal

Owners of a Maryhill cafe may have to tear down their decking which was built without planning permission to serve as a beer garden last year.

Cafe Ibiza which sits on Maryhill Road opened its beer garden last year and boasted an out-door seating area which can hold 70 people.

The bar, which had previously been named the Botany, submitted a planning application on March 11, 2024 as part of the transformation of the site but work was completed on the decking before planning bosses met in July.

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They subsequently decided to reject the proposal as it was not in accordance with the local development plan.

A further retrospective application for the development of a raised deck/terrace to the back of the pub has since been submitted to Glasgow City Council’s planning department and is expected to be presented to committee members next week.

Councillors are yet again being advised to reject the proposals as it not only does not meet the conditions of the local development plan but also that the site is designated as a “sports area” and is a protected open space.

There has been mixed feelings over the development with 12 letters of objections and seven letters of support submitted to the council.

Those in support felt that the creation of a social space would allow people to sit outside in warm weather, made use of previously derelict land, was a positive investment in the city and created jobs for the area.

But those against worried about noise and other anti-social behaviour, loss of open space, fragmentation of green space and local habitats for wildlife, increased traffic and alcohol use near the local primary school.

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The report which is being presented to planning next week states: “This site is designated as a ‘Sports Area’ on the Council’s Open Space Map, and is therefore protected open space within the ‘demand-led’ category.

“For development of a protected space within this category there must be no longer an identifiable demand in the City and the site must have little other open space value.

“In this case, no supporting information in regard to the demand has been provided. However, it is noted that although this site is listed as a ‘sports area’, this is not a formal sports pitch or games area and is associated with the sports grounds of the neighbouring North Kelvinside Primary School.

“As above, even if there is no demand for the site to continue its ‘sports area’ use, it must then be assessed whether or not the site has any open space value as listed.”

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