COUNCILLORS have shown they have a big appetite for an Italian restaurant taking over an empty shop on Tranent High Street.

East Lothian Council recently granted planning permission for Giancarlo’s and this week awarded a premises licence, meaning alcohol can be sold in the restaurant.

Alistair Macdonald, representing Giancarlo Pacitti, owner of the business, had submitted a supporting statement ahead of the meeting.

He told members of East Lothian Licensing Board that planning permission for the new business at 119 High Street, formerly Sun Blinds, had already been granted.

That meant they were not discussing whether there should be a restaurant but whether it should be a restaurant with a licence for alcohol.

He said: “It will be an Italian restaurant and a lot of the produce, such as wine, will be Italian. Staff will know the origins and the strength of it.” Mr MacDonald stressed the plan was for the restaurant to attract people from throughout the town.

There would also be an area for takeaways, where customers could buy alcohol to go with pizza or pasta.

However, the price of the alcohol would not be in line with local supermarkets, and would instead be more expensive.

He added: “There are a huge number of new houses in Tranent.

“The restaurant owners hope and expect a large part of their clientele will be locals, who will be regulars and who they get to know.” Councillors raised concerns about customers buying alcohol to take away from the restaurant.

Mr Macdonald stressed the off-sales would be restricted to people buying takeaway food.

He said the purpose of the off sales licence was to save customers from buying food at the restaurant and then having to go elsewhere for a bottle of wine or beer to go with it.

Ward councillor Donald Grant was the first to support the plans.

He said: “First of all, I would like to thank and congratulate the applicant for bringing this empty shop back onto High Street for a constructive purpose.

“It is a shop that has been lying empty for several years.” Ward colleague Councillor Shamin Akhtar agreed and highlighted Tranent’s growth in recent years.

She added: “A restaurant would be a real asset to High Street and will be creating job opportunities and regenerating Tranent High Street.” Finally, Councillor Fraser McAllister described the future restaurant as “tremendous”.

He added: “It is tremendous that such a prominent gap has been filled and not just filled but filled by something that people will really relish – an Italian restaurant.” In the coming weeks, the premises are set to be refurbished before the restaurant can open.