A hairdressers’ described as a much-loved “institution” in a Teesside town for more than 45 years has seen plans to turn it into a takeaway approved by councillors.

Staff at the Jalz salon found out about the plans with Proudreed Real Estate’s application for permission to change the salon’s use, a council meeting heard.

A string of objectors spoke up for the business and its owner Allan Iveson at a council meeting on Wednesday.

Councillors said they did not like the plan, which described the site as a “vacant unit”. But members of Stockton Council’s planning committee could not find a good reason to refuse it.

However the meeting was also told by a planning officer: “There’s no guarantee that by granting this consent that use will come into operation. That’s a matter for the landlord and the tenant to negotiate and discuss.”

Objector Colin Bunyan said Mr Iveson had set up Jalz when he was 22 and spent over £100,000 fitting out an empty shell after moving to St Peters House at the Pavilion Shopping Centre in Thornaby. “Then in January last year, one of his members of staff was informed that the landlord had put in for planning permission.

“That was how he found out that these plans were going through,” he added, saying the lease was due to end on Christmas Eve this year. “I’ve seen first hand how it’s affected him.

“Having this business going all these years, he’s put his life into it and feeling that it might be dragged away. The destruction which it’s brought on his life.”

Adam Tinkler said: “Jalz is a Thornaby institution and a thriving business which has been trading and paying into the local economy for over 45 years. It employs highly skilled and loyal staff who have all worked for the company for a long period of time, and also has a loyal client base, particularly elder people who use it as a social hub.

“Forcing the current business to close, costing highly skilled staff their jobs whilst there are two empty units advertising for business does not seem to me as the most efficient way to create new business for the town centre.”

He argued there were already 11 food outlets in the area. David Appleton said the precinct was “already well-served if not over-served”, while Simon Dale said: “The town doesn’t need another fast food takeaway with its associated noise nuisance, potential anti-social behaviour including littering and environmental impact.”

Ward councillor Sylvia Walmsley said it affected the town centre’s viability, taking away an “absolutely brilliant” business which brought in many people who went on to shop and dine, whereas takeaway customers would simply pick up their orders and leave.

She said: “I just think this would be a massive mistake to allow this to go through to get rid of a vibrant, flourishing business.”

Neither Mr Iveson nor anyone for the applicant or landlord spoke at the meeting. The council received 45 objections from people who wrote that Jalz was a classy, friendly and respected town “jewel” used by generations of customers and approval of the plan would be “one of the worst decisions the local council could make” and a takeaway would be “an insult to Thornaby and a total eyesore”.

Council officers recommended approving the plan. They maintained it would not cause an “over-concentration” of takeaways, despite the KFC, McDonald’s, Greggs, Cooplands, Subway and other such businesses nearby, citing a technicality over classes of use.

Planning service manager Simon Grundy said takeaways were directed to local centres: “I completely understand the emotions around the existing business, it being there 45 years. Unfortunately they are not material planning considerations. We can’t take that into account.”

Discussing the plan, Cllr Barry Woodhouse said: “I think it’s flaming well wrong. It’s immoral and I don’t agree with it. But I don’t see how we can refuse this application and that’s really, really sad.”

Cllr Eileen Johnson agreed: “I really don’t like this application one bit. But I’m struggling to see how we turn it down.”

Councillors voted 4-3 to approve the plan, with two abstentions. Proudreed Real Estate has been contacted for a comment.