A pub in Strathbungo has launched an appeal after the council ordered the removal of a canopy over its beer garden.

The Regent Bar on Pollokshaws Road put up the canopy to “provide shelter to the external drinking area” without planning permission.

Council officials said it was “an incongruous addition which harms the special architectural and historic character and appearance” of the listed building.

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They added two previous applications to install a canopy, in 2006, had been refused. Questions have also been asked about changes to the building’s sandstone façade.

But Rosemount Inns Ltd, which owns the pub, has appealed to the Scottish Government over the decision. A representative for the firm said the 2006 applications had been made before Rosemount Inns bought the bar.

They have argued work to the building was necessary due “to decay of the existing cladding”. The appeal states timber cladding was “in poor condition” and “upon removal of the cladding the stonework was also noted to be in poor condition”.

An independent reporter has been appointed by the Scottish Government to rule on the case, with a decision expected by early December.

In an enforcement letter to the owners, a council official said there had been a planning breach and the canopy should be removed.

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It added: “The external walls of a historic building are an important element in defining its character. Listed building consent is required for any works affecting the character of a listed building and planning permission may be required in a conservation area.”

They asked for more information regarding the treatment of the sandstone façade when this work was carried out.

Building consultants, Brawdia, acting on behalf of Rosemount Inns, told the council that the firm had purchased the property in 2008 and “had no knowledge of a previous application for planning and listed building consent”.

In the letter, sent to the council in August, it said the owners plan to submit a retrospective application for the canopy and argued there are “numerous examples of properties within the Strathbungo conservation zone with canopies”. They believe “a precedence has been set within the area”.

The letter added the external works are being reviewed with “a view to reinstating the elevations to their appearance prior to the recent works”.

The appeal, submitted in September, stated: “The elevation works were undertaken due to decay of the existing cladding, to the perimeter. 

“The existing timber cladding was overall in poor condition and upon removal of the cladding the stonework was also noted to be in poor condition.”

It added repairs were “undertaken to the stonework” and the canopy was added “only for aesthetic purposes to provide shelter to the external drinking area”.