Cannich Stores lodge plans to replace double decker bus cafe with building

A bar and café located in an old bus is set to be replaced should a major variation of a premises alcohol licence be approved by Highland Council.

Cannich Stores has submitted an application seeking permission to sell alcohol and food from a new extension currently under construction, and include their 16 seater outdoor drinking area in the alcohol licence, as well as extended operating hours.

The application will be decided by Highland Council’s licensing board next week.

Once built, the new extension will host 50 seats which, combined with the business’s existing outdoor drinking area, will replace the temporary double decker eatery.

The owners, who moved over from Australia, repurposed the coach four years ago after the previous village bar shut its doors.

Planning permission had previously been granted for use of the former vehicle on the condition that a permanent structure was in place within five years.

The application also seeks to change the name of the premises from Cannich Post Office and Stores to Cannich Stores/Affric Bar and Café as the shop stopped running a postal service in 2023..

Extended operating hours, included in the application, would see alcohol being permitted to be sold in the café/bar extension from 11am to midnight, seven days a week.

Conditions listed in the report, to be attached to any permission, state any alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink shall not be consumed in any outdoor drinking area past 9pm, and no live or recorded music should be played in the outdoor area either.

Bar meals, televised sport, background music, receptions and club meetings have also been included in the application.

Alcohol could also be delivered to customers’ homes if the licensing board approves the extension of the licence to the shop’s home delivery service.

No objections to the application have been received, and the licensing standard officer (LSO) found no threat to the licensing objectives under national law, as stated in the report.