An award-winning shop boss plans to start serving takeaway food from the store after he previously got a telling off for starting improvement works without permission.

Sayiad Hamid, who picked up the Entrepreneur prize at the Scottish Grocery Awards last year, put in a planning application to part-change the use of the Premier Store on Paterson Avenue, Irvine, into a hot food takeaway as well as shop.

The application was sent after the store promised a whole new re-fit and extension, complete with new Quinn’s Kitchen and hot food counter for customers.

Mr Hamid was previously given the go ahead to increase the capacity of the shop and alcohol and food sections.

At North Ayrshire’s Licensing Board on February 24, Mr Hamid asked to extend the capacity from 13.6 sq.m. to 14.05 sq.m and vary the layout.

This was after works had already started without proper permission and a visit from a council licensing officer and police over a previous employee being listed as premises manager.

Convenor Ronnie McNicol said: “You should have come to the board first and asked for permission. You should have had an experienced premises manager as well.”

Mr Hamid said: “We’ve always invested in all our stores. That shop is so small, and we could have kept it the way it is but that area needs a bigger shop. Every shop we have took on we have done it not just for us but for the area as well.”

After deliberation by board members Cllr McNicol said: “We have discussed your application.

“Some members are not happy, but on this instance we agree to grant.”