after months of delays.

The Development Applications Board (DAB) last week granted Mr. Burgess -- who runs the Spinning Wheel nightclub on Court Street -- permission to renovate an existing building on Elliot Street, just west of the Court Street intersection.

Planning documents describe the current building as being in "poor condition and used for unauthorised activity''.

But the proposed renovations will create a take-out restaurant, ground-floor one-bedroom apartment, and two upper, one-bedroom units.

DAB officials pointed out that plans failed to provide outdoor living space, but decided "the increased size of the units, the character of the area, and the need for improvements'' warranted an approval.

Mr. Burgess told The Royal Gazette he had been frustrated by the lengthy process, but was eager to begin construction.

Retroactive permission was also granted for a large planter, two storage rooms, and four kennels for security dogs at the Spinning Wheel nightclub.

Mr. Burgess said he has been using two Pitbull-German Shepherd cross-breed dogs to patrol the back of the Spinning Wheel nightclub for years.

The dogs -- which cannot be seen from the front of the building -- are well-trained and cheaper than security guards, said Mr. Burgess.