Glasgow restaurant group bid to open Byres Road restaurant refused

The DRG, which is behind Anchor Line, Atlantic and The Citizen, had applied to Glasgow City Council to convert a shop, previously Peckham’s, into a restaurant.

But council planners have turned down the bid, as they believe it would result in an “unacceptable” loss of a retail premises.

Family-owned DRG (Di Maggio’s Restaurant Group) runs over 20 restaurants in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Newcastle. They include Cafe Andaluz, Amarone, Anchor Line, Atlantic, The Citizen and Barolo.

The firm, which was founded in the 1980s when Di Maggio’s opened, had reported there was no demand for retail use at the Byres Road unit, which was last used as a convenience store named Casey’s.

The plans claimed: “Introduction of a viable restaurant by an experienced applicant who truly understands this local market will bring increased footfall to this section of Byres Road and help transform the immediate area.”

They added the shop was marketed for retail use but there “has been no interest and no rental offer made”.

However, planning officials decided the application was contrary to council policies, as it would result in “five adjacent class three units” — restaurants and cafes — which “would detract from the vitality and viability” of the area.

They added the proposal would “result in the unacceptable loss” of a retail unit and would “erode the retail character of the major town centre”.

Planners also said the proposal did not “demonstrate that the property has been appropriately marketed” for retail use for “a minimum period of 12 months” before the submission of the retail scheme.

They believe there is “still a reasonable prospect” of retail use at the site.

Planning documents stated the last long-term operator at 124 to 126 Byres Road was Peckham’s, and the unit was bought in 2017 with “a view to continued operation as a delicatessen” but this venture “failed”.

A Chinese supermarket opened in 2019 before the shop was rebranded as Casey’s in 2022. These operations also failed, the plans added, stating the restaurant application “seeks to bring a unit which has been unable to sustain a retail use since 2017 back into viable use”.

“The DRG family has a thorough and robust understanding of their market,” the application added. “They have a successful track record of delivering restaurants which cater for the need/demand. 

“This proposal seeks to respond to an identified need in Byres Road within a unit which is detracting from the major town centre.”