PLANNING chiefs at Warrington have given the go-ahead for a community shop and café providing cut-price surplus food to people from disadvantaged communities.
The scheme put forward by Company Shop Ltd involves a change of use of Bewsey Park Community Centre from a bowling club and offices to a community shop.
In addition to the shop and café there will be meeting and training rooms.
The site is off Troutbeck Avenue, Bewsey and is well connected to existing public transport, with regular bus services along Troutbeck Avenue to and from the town centre.
Company Shop Ltd is a commercial distributor of surplus food with nine locations in England.
The award-winning social enterprise shops provide members with vital access to deeply discounted food, as well as life-changing learning and development programmes, building stronger individuals and more confident communities.
Unlike classic retailers, Company Shop is a membership-only store that sells heavily discounted goods to those in receipt of benefits, in addition to providing support through its learning and development programmes.
Membership is restricted to about 750 active members identified by their need to access discounted foods. Often they have previously relied on food banks and cannot afford to buy goods at market prices.
The centre will have parking provision but most customers are expected to arrive on foot or bicycle.
Experience at other branches suggests the shop will have about 140 visitors a day with about 15-30 on-site at any one time.
The community centre is currently not being used. It is proposed that the existing bowling club will continue as a separate organisation.
