Plans for a city centre’s third fish and chip shop within 200 yards have been dashed due to concerns over its extraction fan system.

Shawarma Bros revealed plans last year to take over an empty building on Canterbury High Street which had been home to Kaspa’s Desserts for eight years.

Its first proposal was withdrawn as the company acknowledged improvements could be made before the scheme was resubmitted in October.

The firm already runs a Middle-East-inspired food kiosk in Waterloo, London, and was intending to serve traditional fish and chips at the Grade II*-listed site, which was set to be called Fish Bros.

It would have faced competition from Seafarer and City Fish Bar just a minute’s walk in either direction.

But a redesigned extraction system - which would have discharged the scents and vapours through a grate in the side of the building - has not impressed planning officers at Canterbury City Council (CCC).

“The proposed extraction flue, by virtue of its location, would fail to properly disperse odours to the detriment of neighbouring amenity,” the deciding officer wrote in his report refusing permission for the works on February 7.

The Canterbury Society also objected to the application according to the council’s report, saying a “fish and chip shop use fails to enhance the character of the area,” and there would be “Unacceptable removal of historic fabric from the extraction flue.”

And the council’s own heritage department also objected to the listed building consent required for the works, and the environmental health team said the location of the extraction flue would not adequately disperse smells from cooking.

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Shawarma Bros wrote in its application that “this represents a similar scheme to the previously withdrawn one, by reducing the scale, bulk, and termination point of the proposed kitchen extraction flue”.

The company has submitted a separate premises licence for the site to CCC, but that is yet to be decided.

Shawarma Bros has been contacted for comment.