A JAPANESE restaurant in Glasgow has pulled an application for an occasional licence following health and safety concerns over timber cladding.

Managers of Glasgow Fort Shopping Park’s Yo Sushi, which has remained open to the public, have been unsuccessful in addressing the problem for at least a year.

They also failed to obtain a temporary occupation certificate. It is understood work is being carried out this week to fix the cladding which is used to provide a degree of thermal insulation and weather resistance.

The application was discussed at the licensing board.

Speaking on behalf of Yo Sushi, Frances Ennis, said: “I understand there is a problem with the timber cladding on the premises which is not a situation my client or building control want to be in.

“We had an update from the architect this morning to confirm work is being carried out to address it.”

Members of the licensing board raised concerns regarding the state of the property and asked building control why it had been allowed to remain open to the public.

Chairman of the board, councillor Matt Kerr, said: “Why did building control allow the restaurant to operate if it was in this condition?

“I find this very concerning. I hope this is not happening elsewhere.”

A spokesman for building control said: “From what I have been told by my colleagues, I believe the safety of the building was deemed to be of a high enough standard.”

But this did not reassure the board.

Councillor Bill Butler said: “I don’t understand why the premises has been allowed to function if it does not have the appropriate certificate.

“We are talking about people’s health and safety. A temporary occupation certificate should have been sought. Was this not part of the discussion with your client?”

Ms Ennis replied: “We do not want to be in this position and have been trying to resolve it for the past year.”

Mr Kerr said: “I am concerned we did not know about this. Only a couple of years ago many lost their lives in a fire as a result of a cladding .”

Ms Ennis responded: “The issue of cladding is very important given the recent events. There are several agents involved and we are working hard to make sure the situation is resolved.”

Mr Kerr said: “I do not doubt your client’s endeavours, but this problem needs to be fixed.”

Following the discussion the application for the provisional licence was withdrawn.