Plans to turn an office above a town centre cafe into housing have been given the go-ahead after experts said cooking smells from downstairs would be ‘negligible’.

The proposals for the business on Bonnyrigg High Street will see the first floor office turned into a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) with four bedrooms and a living area, however planners insisted an odours assessment was carried out first after warning smells and noise from hot food establishments could have a negative impact on future tenants.

Now Midlothian Council has approve the proposals after applicants Property Services Limited brought in experts to monitor the cafe’s ventilation over a lunchtime and found it would have almost no impact on the upstairs.

A report by planners said: “The assessment concluded that

See Full Page