CBS council says a regretful no to Indian take-out

By Mark Squibb

Two CBS councillors say more should have been done to allow a resident to run a part-time business out of Topsail United Church.

Planning committee chairman councillor Gerard Tilley moved that council deny the application to operate a take-out food business out of the church.

Tilley said that the part-time commercial use of the building, as proposed by the resident, was unfortunately not permitted.

“As much as we would have liked to have this person operate out of this particular area, the regulations just don’t allow it,” said Tilley.

He then encouraged the planning department to reach out to the individual to try and find a solution.

Ward 1 Councillor Shelley Moores said that she was disappointed by the decision.

“I do understand it’s zoned for something different but when you think about someone who’s trying to bring something new into our community and wants to get a feel if it would work, for just four hours a week, I just felt that we could have tried to do something to accommodate it,” said Moores. “It’s disappointing that we can’t. I do hope the planning department does try to make some sort of amendments or maybe even a new policy to allow this to happen but I have to say I was very disappointed we weren’t able to help out in this situation.”

Councillor Joshua Barrett also expressed his disappointment with the decision.

“What’s proposed is a lady selling Indian food for four hours on a Saturday,” said Barrett. “Taking all things into consideration, I would have liked to see if we could have tried to accommodate this a bit more than what we have, so I’ll be voting against (the motion to deny) this evening.”

Mayor Darrin Bent said he understood and agreed with concerns raised by Moores and Barrett.

“I’m hoping the department will work towards finding some sort of an accommodation to allow for this to happen, because I think that, not only this business, but other businesses like this would benefit our community at large, and benefit our residents, that’s for sure, giving them a variety that they want here in Conception Bay South, and that we’re lacking in some respect,” said the mayor. “So, we need to find a way to make these things work for sure.”

Both Barrett and Moores voted against the motion, which passed despite their objections.

Other applications presented to council that evening fared better. Council approved construction of a number of residential accessory buildings and homes.

Council also approved a business application for a sports training facility at 655 Conception Bay Highway, the former home of Your Dollar Store and More in Kelligrews.