Fight to stop late night takeaway at Cheylesmore

Residents have slammed plans to open a late night takeaway in Coventry.



Council officers have recommended that councillors approve a new takeaway for the Quinton Parade in Cheylesmore.

The applicant, Glamlee Ltd, has applied to open the restaurant at 111 Quinton Road between the hours of 8am and 11pm Monday to Saturday, and 8am until 10pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

The premises, formerly Just Spudz, has been vacant for about a year and currently only has permission to open Mondays to Saturday between 8am and 6pm with no trading on Sunday.

Residents say it would lead to increased traffic and antisocial behaviour.

Val Goode, 80, who lives near to the site, said: “This application is annoying simply because it would disrupt the lives of not just myself but my neighbours with cars stopping here at all hours of the day and the slamming of car doors.

“Parking is already a problem in this area and it would only make matters worse.”

She started a petition on Monday which has already been signed by 36 people in opposition to the late opening hours.

She added: “I don’t mind the idea of a takeaway in principle, it’s the hours that I’ve got a problem with.”

Granville Brown, 61, of nearby Lichfield Road, said: “We don’t need any more takeaways. There are already enough around here as it is.

“This takeaway would blight the lives of residents living around here and will cause a lot of stress and disruption.

“By recommending this plan for approval, council officers are riding roughshod over residents whose feelings on the matter are being usurped.”

Carole Jones, 70, of Quinton Road, added: “I don’t like this at all. This area needs more shops not takeaways.”

Councillor Hazel Noonan (Cons, Cheylesmore) backs their concerns.

She said: “If councillors are minded to give their approval, I would urge them to consider reduced opening hours.”

The matter will be heard at a Council House planning meeting on Thursday.

In their report, officers recommended the opening hours were granted, stating: “The previous business at the application site was unable to trade viably due to limited hours of operation and was forced to cease trading.

“As such, the premises are vacant, and, whilst there is interest from businesses to operate from the site they are ultimately deterred by the limitations on opening hours.”

Late night takeaway plans blocked by Coventry councillors

COUNCILLORS have backed angry residents by blocking plans to open a late night takeaway in Coventry.

But planning officers warned the decision to refuse permission for a late night fast food outlet in Quinton Parade, Cheylesmore, could be overturned by a planning inspector upon appeal.

The premises, formerly Just Spudz, had been vacant for a year but councillors pointed to parking problems and late night noise nuisance.

Officers insisted that, as the end unit on a busy parade of shops, they would struggle to legally back up any refusal of Glamlee Ltd – which owns 90 per cent of Quinton Parade’s properties.

The company’s representative said it planned to attract KFC or Pizza Hut to the end unit.

Coun Kevin Foster (Con, Cheylesmore) told a planning committee meeting that the entrance to the parking slip road would mean customers would have to drive the length of the parade and back to
legally park up.

Councillors argued this was unlikely and claimed it would create a dangerous junction.

After councillors were shown pictures of damage to grass verges caused by current levels of illegal parking, Coun Foster said: “This particular location doesn’t have the benefit of easy parking because you cannot park directly outside.”

Committee chairman Coun Kevin Maton told officers that as elected members with local knowledge, they were best placed to make the decision “rather than an inspector from Bristol”.

Plans for two takeaways in Coventry to stay open until 11pm have been rejected at appeal.

The council’s planning committee refused permission for two shops at the Daventry Road Shopping Parade, Cheylesmore, to stay open late at a hearing in July.

But the company behind the currently empty shops – at 111 Quinton Road and 131 Daventry Road – appealed to the planning inspectorate.

That appeal has now been refused, meaning the owners would not be able to open 8am-11pm Monday to Saturday and 8am-10pm Sunday if they were to develop the sites.

In a letter outlining the reasons for dismissing the appeal, inspector Stephen Pratt said: “The extended opening hours of the premises would be likely to erode the general amenity and living conditions currently enjoyed by nearby residents, as a result of the additional activity and noise caused by customers visiting and parking their vehicles.”

He added: “I consider there are sound and clear-cut reasons to justify refusing planning permission for the proposed extension of opening hours on the grounds of the potential noise and disturbance and erosion of the living conditions of nearby residents caused by the additional activity.”

Coun Hazel Noonan, who campaigned on behalf of residents in Cheylesmore against the plans, has welcomed the news of the rejected appeal.

“I am pleased to hear that the Planning Inspectorate has listened to the views of local residents and dismissed these appeals,” she said.

“Residents living nearby were rightly concerned about the impact this plan would have particularly the prospect of increased problems with inconsiderate parking on Quinton Road.

“I am delighted it has ended with such a positive result.”

She added: “I would encourage the company behind these two applications to work with traders and residents to develop the parade as a vibrant local retail experience, particularly in light of the recent decision to give ASDA planning permission for a new store.”