CONTROVERSIAL plans to transform a once-popular Barrhead pub into a funeral parlour have been rejected by councillors.
An application by Sava Estates to open the new business on the site of the former Hurlet Carvery was recommended for approval when it went before East Renfrewshire Council at a meeting held on Wednesday, May 15.
However, elected members decided to snub the proposals after hearing that it had attracted dozens of objections.
READ MORE: Controversial plan to turn former Barrhead pub into funeral parlour set for go-ahead
A number of residents living near the site had complained about the possibility of an increase in traffic and noise pollution, as well as a negative impact on greenspace, wildlife and property values.
They called for an alternative site to be found for the funeral parlour, which would have been just yards away from a site where East Renfrewshire’s first crematorium is to be built.
Elena Rennie and her husband Graham, who have lived in the nearby Hurlet Cottages for 20 years, said the funeral home would have been “an eyesore.”
READ MORE: Crematorium plan in Barrhead gets the green light
Sava Estates had hoped to stage up to 1,000 funeral ceremonies per year at the Hurlet site.
Their plans included a service area for ceremonies, with a capacity of 40 to 50 people, as well as four viewing areas, a foyer and reception areas, with the site’s 69-space car park being retained.
The proposed hours of operation were 9am to 5pm, seven days per week.
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