PLANS to extend a popular restaurant in Belbroughton have been given the go ahead despite planners recommending refusal.

Owner of Five Spice restaurant, Sadiq Miah, applied to extend the restaurant which specialises in Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine, to provide additional space in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

However, planning officers recommended refusal to the application for a single storey extension as ‘it would have a detrimental impact on the green belt’.

The extension will be added to the rear of the eatery on Stourbridge Road and connected to the existing restaurant via a new glazed link.

At a Bromsgrove District Council planning committee meeting on November 1, members granted approval as they considered the support for business to recover after the Covid pandemic outweighed the detrimental harm to green belt land.

A planning statement says: “The extension is deliberately designed as a minimalist “glass box” in a “garden room” aesthetic, partly to appear as an extension of the garden area/outdoor dining but fundamentally, is designed to allow for cross ventilation with large openings to ensure safe dining, in direct response to the issues surrounding COVID.

“The business to operate has had to make provisions in the form of temporary marquees erected to the rear and side of the building.

“These marquees not only detract from the character and appearance of the property but are only a temporary measure.

“However, more importantly their design, height, size and colour mean that they have a far greater impact on the openness of the Green Belt than that of the purpose-built extension, as proposed.”

A disabled toilet and and extended decking area outside will also be created.

Extending the premises will also result in extra staff being taken on, boosting numbers from 10-15 to 20 and possibly up to 25 on weekends and holidays.