Efforts by Amsterdam officials to control the number of tourist shops in the city centre and to limit the spread of fast food outlets were at the centre of two rulings by the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

In one, the judges ruled that the New York Pizza group is a fast food chain, not a restaurant, upholding a ban on an outlet near the De Pijp metro station in the south of the city.

Council zoning laws rule out allowing fast food outlets in the area and despite New York Pizza’s plans to offer salads and whole pizzas as well as take-aways, the court upheld the ban.

The owner of a cheese shop on the Damrak had better luck. City officials want to close down the store, arguing that it is aimed at tourists and so breaks the city centre ban on new tourist shops.

The shop opened a month after the ban was brought in, but the lease on the premises had been signed in July. The Supreme Court said in a preliminary ruling that the owner’s need to sell cheese to pay the rent is more important than upholding the ban.

The court will hand down its final decision at the end of July.