Restaurateur at odds with planners over alleged breach

Restaurateur at odds with planners over alleged breach

The owner of popular east Belfast eatery, Cyprus Avenue, has said he is in the dark about an alleged breach of planning rules at the venue.

Belfast City Council (BCC) recently confirmed that it is investigating the busy neighbourhood bistro for an alleged breach of the rules around the installation of a ventilation system and additional windows. The kitchen is also said to have been built too high.

But Richard McCracken, who opened the restaurant in January 2017, has said he knows nothing about the claim and maintains that no alterations have been made to the premises in the last three years.

He recently told The Belfast Telegraph: ‘We have had no contact from planning regarding any issue. We are an independent restaurant negotiating our way through a pandemic.’

For its part, BCC has insisted that it is carrying out an enforcement investigation around planning approval for developments that, it says, have taken place.

Mr McCracken, who has trained under Michelin-starred chefs Tom Kitchin and Helene Darroze, invested £750,000 in an expansion project in 2018 which saw the restaurant double in size. An additional 18 jobs were created at that time.