A BID to secure planning permission for three container units sited next to a pub in Duntocher have been rejected by councillors – against the advice of their own officials.

Members of the planning committee at West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) voted on Monday to reject the application for retrospective permission for the containers in the car park of the Glenhead Tavern on the corner of Dumbarton Road and Beeches Road.

WDC officials had recommended that temporary permission should be granted for a maximum of two years to enable the units to be used for a tyre-changing business.

Ten objections were lodged against the proposal, including one signed by nine residents of Veitches Court, on the opposite site of Beeches Road.

The objectors raised concerns about noise pollution, increased traffic, fumes, loss of visual amenity and the loss of car parking spaces at the pub, which, they claimed, would lead to greater road safety risks because of vehicles having to park on the nearby streets.

A report on the case, however, stated that WDC officials believed the noise impact of the proposal would only be significant on a Sunday, and that the business would not add significantly to existing air pollution from traffic on Dumbarton Road.

The report also said WDC roads officials had not raised any road safety concerns, and added: “It is considered that the proposal complies with the polices of the adopted local plan and proposed local development plans, and is therefore acceptable.”

Despite the recommendation, councillors refused the application.