A Northern Irish cafe chain has been granted permission to convert an empty Sauchiehall Street shop.

Planning officials at Glasgow City Council have approved Bob & Berts’ bid to turn an unused part of a B-listed building into a coffee shop.

The firm’s application stated the owners of the site, at 154 Sauchiehall Street, have been in talks with the council over the future of the building and the wider Savoy Centre, regarding regeneration.

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“This unit has been vacant for some time and if permission is granted it will allow a vacant unit to be brought back into commercial activity with an end user already secured (Bob & Berts),” the documents added.

“The overall aspirations for this part of Sauchiehall Street are to create a vibrant viable destination which is attractive to tenants, employees and visitors to Sauchiehall Street.”

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Bob & Berts was founded in Portstewart, Northern Ireland, in 2013 and expanded into Scotland in 2018. It now has six venues in the country, including Falkirk and Stirling, as well as four premises in the north of England.

It opened a cafe in Perth in July and said it has plans to move into Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness as well as Glasgow.

When the Perth venue opened, David Ferguson, co-owner of Bob & Berts, said the company was at “a really exciting moment in terms of growth”.

“We are keeping our eyes peeled for opportunities to bring our high quality food and coffee to new communities across Scotland.”

The planning application claimed it has not been possible to find a retail use for the ground floor of the Sauchiehall Street building, whereas the cafe would be a “long term and sustainable use”.

It will “encourage footfall along this section of Sauchiehall Street which is a prime retail and tourist route”, the application added.  “There is clear intent on the part of the applicant to deliver a scheme (as part of wider considerations for the Savoy Centre) which has longevity and is an attractive place in which to socialise.”