Plan to turn Tin Angel bar into takeaway and student flats

[dutchman]

Plans have been submitted to turn a former bar in the city centre into a cafe and takeaway with student accommodation upstairs.



The building which was home to the popular bar and live music venue, the Tin Angel, for up to ten years, has been empty since February 2011.

It closed suddenly after the bar management fell into a disagreement with the landlord over an unpaid water bill.

This week plans were submitted to Coventry City Council to bring the building on the corner of Lower Holyhead Road and Spon Street back into use.

The applicant, a Mr R Mann, is asking for permission to change the use of the ground floor to allow a cafe, restaurant and hot food takeaway to open and for the empty office space upstairs to be converted into student flats.

The offices on the first and second floor were previously used by the Tin Angel as practice space for musicians and by a company called Bridge Contract Services, but have been vacant for many years.

The proposals for the accommodation will see six rooms built over the two floors.

The rooms will come with en-suite bathrooms and include two shared kitchens.

The cafe and takeaway plan, which has been submitted separately by the same applicant, says no alcohol will be served on the site but the premises will be open seven days a week, from 8am until 4am.

Keith Draper, chair of the Spon Street and Lower Holyhead Road Traders’ Association, said he was happy to see the empty building back in use.

However, he also added that although the plans to open the cafe and takeaway were still vague, an indication that it would open until 4am “rang alarm bells”.

“We applaud anyone wishing to open a coffee shop in the street that will support the day time traders and bring more people into the street,” he said.

“I also have no problem with the student accommodation plan for the building.

“But if there are any further developments on the hot food takeaway front then traders here would be very unhappy about that.

“We have been down this avenue before because takeaways do bring litter and mess at night and we do not believe that fits in with the wellbeing of the street.”

People have until November 22 to make a representation on the two applications.

A final decision on the proposals will then be made by the city council’s planning committee in December.

[rebbonk]

Just my thoughts, but I believe the city is far too reliant on the University