A PLANNING application with a difference is set to go before York planners, as a sandwich shop owner says he is being forced to ask for the go-ahead to sell jacket spuds.

The bizarre request, which will go before City of York Council next week, is from the owners of the Big Bite Sandwich Bar, in Main Street, Fulford. They say they have been forced to put in the hot potato of an application after planning enforcers made them take tatties off the menu.

More than 150 Fulford residents have joined the fight to save their spuds, as they have signed the "Save The Big Bite Potato Petition".

Shop manager Dave Hill said: "This has been going on for over a year now. It is ridiculous really, having to put a planning application in to be able to sell potatoes - classic red tape, a waste of time and money. But we are having a bit of a laugh about it as well.

"People keep asking for them, hopefully we will sell quite a few if the application goes through - as long as they haven't gone off them through waiting so long."

A City of York Council spokeswoman said the application was necessary because the shop did not have the right sort of extractor system when it previously sold potatoes.

"It now has the required extractor and so has applied to sell the potatoes," she said.

The application will go before the council's planning and transport (east area) sub committee on Thursday, from 3pm. It is expected to be given approval.

Updated: 10:39 Saturday, June 07, 2003