A SPEAKEASY cocktail bar which had been operating out of a converted office has been ordered to close or face enforcement action.

The owners of The Cat’s Pyjamas, which opened in Belhaven, by Dunbar, had applied for a change of use to turn the office into the bar retrospectively.

However East Lothian Council has rejected the application after receiving 11 objections - five from the same person, and issued an order for the bar, which has been closed during lockdown, to cease operations.

Owner of the Cats Pyjamas Ross Hardie, described the decision as “bizarre” after roads officials ruled a lack of offstreet parking at the venue would cause traffic hazard and make it unsuitable for the property.

And he said he now has to consider the future of the business after a series of setbacks including what he described as a “vendetta” against it.

He has three months to appeal the decision.

Mr Hardie pointed to other hotels and establishments in the area which were allowed to operate without having to provide parking because their businesses opened prior to the local authority's current parking standards.

He said: “It seems completely bizarre that the roads department would essentially encourage drink driving by decreeing that The Cat’s Pyjamas, a speakeasy inspired cocktail bar serving no food and predominantly serving alcohol, requires seven parking spaces.”

The speakeasy had attracted a number of objections when it first applied for a licence to run the bar from the office, on Brewery Lane, before Christmas last year.

However, the business opened as a venue with a BYOB policy initially and was later awarded two occasional licences before lockdown.

Despite opening its doors it still needed to apply for a change of use from office to a bar from the council.

And in a report filed by planning officers last week, they said the lack of parking meant it would be a road “hazard”.

The venue, which was initially described by the council as “a cocktail bar facility masked as an ordinary house” only traded two weekends with a licence before lockdown.

Mr Hardie said it had also been subjected to a social media “vendetta” describing the journey as, at times painful.

He said: “One objector submitted five separate objections to the Change of Use in order to increase the total number of objections documented. It’s almost militant.” 

Many of the objections received over the change of use related to the lack of parking in the residential street and regular movements of heavy vehicles from the neighbouring Belhaven Brewery.

Mr Hardie said he now needed time to consider his options with a three month window to appeal the decision.

He said: “At the moment all I can say is sincere thank you to everyone who has supported this venture from the outset and especially to my family for all the blood, sweat, tears and cash they have put into creating this very special place.”