Plan to convert Indian restaurant into Domino’s Pizza takeaway

PLANNERS have been asked to approve proposals to convert an Indian restaurant in Lymm village centre into a Domino’s Pizza takeaway.

The application by DPSK Ltd seeks planning permission for the change of use of the ground floor unit, together with facilitating works to provide extract and ventilation equipment and a replacement shopfront.

A planning impact statement produced by The Pegasus Group says the proposal involves the existing ground floor unit will being converted to a hot food takeaway, to be occupied by Domino’s once all necessary consents are in place.

The proposed takeaway will operate between 11.00 and 23.00 daily and will generate a number of full-time and part-time employment opportunities. Employees will be sourced locally.
The conversion will provide 91.5 m2 takeaway floorspace with the customer service area and a kitchen/service area at the front of the unit, storage and office area in a central position, and cold room, wash up and staff welfare facilities at the rear of the unit.
The ground floor residential access will remain unaffected by the proposals.

A space for refuse storage will be provided within the rear yard where there is existing refuse storage associated with the current use and easy access via the car park to Rectory Road where bins can be taken to the relevant kerbside for collection in accordance with aschedule to be arranged by the occupant.
In order to facilitate the operation of the unit as a hot food takeaway, it is proposed to install extract and ventilation equipment.
The extract will run from the hood above the oven to exit via the rear elevation using the existing extract duct. A new roof hood will be installed at the termination point above the flat roof. Fine filtration will be included within the cooker hood and an ozone odour neutralising system installed within the duct.
An air handling unit will be installed internally, and the intake point will be via a louvred vent on the rear elevation.

Air conditioning and cold room plant will be within a covered storage area in the rear yard which is open at the sides to allow air flow. The units will be wall-mounted using antivibration mounts.

The application site is in an existing town centre use (Class E restaurant) and no additional floorspace is proposed that would introduce a new commercial use in an edge-of-centre location. Furthermore, the site is currently operating as a restaurant with ancillary takeaway, so the change of use would not result in a significant change to the operations at the site, or to the level of trade that would be received at the unit.

The application site is an existing non-retail unit within a short frontage which is occupied by another restaurant use. As such, the proposed change of use will not alter the concentration of non-retail uses in the frontage, nor will it increase the number of food and drink providers in the immediate area or adjacent centre. Turning to hot food takeaways, there are two takeaways within 60 metres of the site neither of which are adjacent to the site or viewed in conjunction with the unit. Overall, therefore, there will be no overconcentration of takeaway uses in the area around the site.

The applicants say the statement has demonstrated that the proposed takeaway is appropriate at the site, replacing a similar operation and retaining the existing ratio of food and drink uses in Lymm.
The use can be accommodated without causing harm to the vitality or viability of the centre, and there will be no impacts on amenity as a result of the change of use.
It has also been demonstrated that there will be no unacceptable impacts on highway safety arising from the takeaway use, and the external alterations will not have an unacceptable impact on the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

Warrington Borough Council planners wsill make a decision on the application.