PizzaExpress plans refused again

by Lisa Reeves

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013

Tue 22^nd Jan 2013

Another planning application to enable PizzaExpress to open a restaurant in Alderley Edge has been refused.

Cheshire East Council has refused to grant a change of use for the premises at 51 London Road and 7 Stevens Street from retail to restaurant.

This second application for the change of use of the ground floor, with alterations including a new shop front facing London Road, the opening up of the shop front facing Stevens Street and the construction of rear extension, was declined on the grounds that it would have a negative impact on the vitality of the shopping area and was unneighbourly.

This is a resubmission of the September application (reference 12/3615) which was declared invalid because the applicant did not pay the application fee. In May, Cheshire East Council also refused to grant a change of use for this village centre premises which has been empty since Wine Rack closed over three years ago.

Perlada Properties Ltd were denied planning permission for the following reasons:

The proposed development involves the loss of a retail unit which would result in a concentration of non Class A1 uses on London Road thereby reducing the dominant shopping characteristics and leading to a loss in the vitality and viability of the shopping area.
The proposed use would cause unacceptable levels of noise to the detriment of the amenities of the occupiers of nearby residential properties.

This most recent planning application can be viewed on the Cheshire East Council website by searching for reference 12/4459M.

Tags:: Perlada Properties, PizzaExpress, Planning Applications

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013 at 1:37 pm

Pizza Express refused, but office block approved, CEC do make some very interesting judgements

Nicholas Lloyd

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013 at 2:53 pm

How much better it would be for the vitality and viability of the shopping area if these pesky developers could come up with a retail unit the village really needs like a video rental shop or a record store or perhaps a camera shop; rather than yet another restaurant.

Clive Elliott

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013 at 5:12 pm

If only the real world worked in the way Nicholas craves. Economic reality restricts such opportunities. Witness Jessops - very few people buy a standalone camera any more and even fewer from the high street. I can't see how Pizza Express detracts from the vitality of the high street - surely it is empty premises which does this? CEC has got it wrong again in my view.

Sarah Lane

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013 at 5:24 pm

I think they have got it wrong as well. 99% of people visiting Pizza Express will eat a meal and then leave the restaurant to either go home or move on to somewhere else. They are not going to come out and make a huge noise disturbing residents further down the street. For goodness sake CEC get a grip and come out with a sensible reason for turning this restaurant down. I can't imagine there would be any more noise than that made by those that used to leave the Wine Rack.

Nick Howorth

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013 at 6:00 pm

And where do all these people who visit yet another restaurant park their cars? The CEC should have given planning permission for a mulit storey car park instead of an office block..they would get more use out of it. Nowhere to park equals no more restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars etc. We also have 3 supermarkets and nowhere to park in the evening. We live in a 'village', come on everyone..get a grip.

Mark Russell

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013 at 6:19 pm

Yeah, lets refuse a viable business idea that would provide more jobs and valuable tax money and stick with an empty unit! Wake up council, you are kiling the local economy. Ill tell you where people will go after a pizza, to the local bars etc. And if they dont, so what, a pizza restaurant is better than another empty shop providing zero jobs etc.

Rachael Tilling

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013 at 6:41 pm

Well done cec. This is after all a small village, one of only a few in cheshire that have not lost all of their character and retained an individual identity, very valuable in many respects. If you want to eat pizza why don't you a. Buy one from the array of brands on offer in our three supermarkets, b. Go to gusto, c. Get in the car on the train, or bus one mile to pizza express in wilmslow.

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013 at 6:42 pm

There are numerous places to park of an evening but people don't want to walk so hence the selfish parking you see in the village. What about a few office blocks letting the public use their car parks of an evening....oh but that would mean a small walk and that is far to high a price when you can park in the bus stop or just park on the pavement blocking the road for everyone else.

Dave Clarke

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013 at 7:37 pm

Nicholas,

Where have you been, video rental shop, record shop, camera shop read Blockbuster - receivership, HMV - receivership, Jessops - receivership, the face of UK retail is changing, forever and rapidly! Unlikely to be viable in little Alderley Edge if they cannot be viable in a City Centre

Glenn Hudson

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013 at 8:09 pm

Rather suspect Nicholas was joking.

Vince Chadwick

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013 at 8:29 pm

I fear, Nicholas, that your irony was lost on some.

John Morris

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013 at 8:40 pm

Come on CEC wake up!
Yes it would be lovely to have more useful shops, personally I'd like to see a fishmonger in the village, but reality is that shops struggle to survive, look at all the other towns and villages across the county.
We need to keep the village alive and attract people to spend money in our local community which also creates local jobs.
This decision, in my opinion, is pathetic!

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013 at 8:58 pm

Nicholas it was, so sorry, half awake looooooong day!

Mike Norbury

Wednesday 23^rd January 2013 at 10:15 am

im glad its not going to be a pizza express simply because the village is ,so top heavy with places to eat if you want a pizza go to the one in Wilmslow or gusto etc. It would be good to see some form of independent retail in there but as to what not a clue what is capable of survival in the current economic climate especially when tied in with the damage by shopping online to high street shops. hopefully someone will have a viable use for the place. good luck

Alan Brough

Thursday 24^th January 2013 at 5:23 pm

It would be great to see a quality greengrocer or wet fish shop. Truth is that this sort of small retail business can't afford the rent / rates of Alderley High Street and so it really will be a question of which national chain best fits CEC's "vision" for Alderley Edge

Steve Savage

Friday 25^th January 2013 at 3:05 pm

What about a Wine Rack??

Saturday 26^th January 2013 at 12:17 am

the most missed shop to me is the legend bookshop, from school days to its closure always nice to browse the shelves and come away with a book.

so what would be your hit as a use of this shop?

Saturday 26^th January 2013 at 2:26 pm

In my dreams I would like to see a sensibly priced children's clothes/shoe shop. No silly price tags like £190 for a child's coat just because it's Alderley Edge. Those shops have all tried and failed. You can't sell things like that every day of the week. Of course it will never happen as a one man band could not afford it.

It has always amazed me that there is no local school uniform shop. You have to drive to Cheadle for Ryleys, not sure about the other schools. I am sure it would be handy to have a supplier selling from a shop in AE. Mind you I can see the 4x4's parked on the pavement and on the double yellow lines causing mayhem ;)

Paul Beaumont

Sunday 27^th January 2013 at 7:56 pm

Vitality and viability ? one is not sure how long term empty shops create this scenario but maybe a good site for an Oxfam mega-store staffed with volunteers? CEC should have refused retail park development at Handforth Dean and made internet shopping illegal to protect vitally and viability of high street retail. Many people would like to see Alderley Edge re-invent itself as a restaurant village and in turn develop restaurant tourism bringing in valuable cash and footfall into the village from neighbouring towns and villages, thus creating employment and prosperity for the village. Those people worried about parking, crowds, noise and all day deliveries obviously believe there is the great demand for restaurants but would prefer a quiet life of struggling retail units with few deliveries and plenty of parking due to lack of shoppers. The local residents have lived with the Union Club, the Bubble Room restaurant site and the off-licence for many years, so not quite sure how much of an impact a pizza restaurant would have on them ? I would suggest to drive past Pizza Express in Hale or Wilmslow at 10 pm and it's all pretty quiet with no cars, drunks or smokers on the pavements as they all seem to fear.

Dawn Kelly

Tuesday 29^th January 2013 at 3:41 pm

Pizza Express would be an asset. It's a well respected family friendly restaurant that would be well supported. I really don't understand the objections.

Duncan Herald

Tuesday 5^th February 2013 at 5:43 pm

'Some' mention that parking is not freely available...tell me about it!...I wish more people would use the parking facility at the Festival Hall; its seldom full.

Jane Roff

Tuesday 5^th February 2013 at 7:10 pm

So, in that case, why the need for a car park on the allotments?

Wednesday 6^th February 2013 at 11:13 am

Hi Jane,
because there will shortly (we hope) be a wacking great medical centre there, which will need lottsa parking and when the Festival Hall is re-furbished (we're getting there) there will be more parking needed and more parking at/near the Festival Hall hopefully will take parked cars out of the village centre.
I do hope that if aims for the alternative site for allotments, near Lydiat Lane, come to fruition (more and larger allotment 'strips') then the furor over Hayes Lane allotment site will perchance 'die a death'?