PizzaExpress still has sights set on Alderley

by Lisa Reeves

Tuesday 4^th December 2012

Tue 4^th Dec 2012

Another planning application has been submitted to enable PizzaExpress to open a restaurant at 51 London Road and 7 Stevens Street.

This village centre site was previously occupied by Wine Rack, which closed three years ago, a bookmakers and offices.

In May Cheshire East Council refused to grant a change of use (planning reference 12/0137M) on the grounds that would have a negative impact on the vitality of the shopping area and was unneighbourly.

In September a second application for the change of use of the ground floor from retail to restaurant, 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 submitted.

However, the September application (reference 12/3615) was declared invalid because the applicant did not pay the application fee.

This new application is a resubmission of 12/3615M with the difference that, this time, the planning application fee has been paid.

The proposal comprises the provision of an open kitchen and seating areas to the front of the premises. The the rear of the building there will be a chiller room, prep room, washing up room, storage, staffroom, toilets and temporary night-time refuse storage, which allows refuse to be taken out to the outdoor refuse storage the following day.

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

The latest date for submitting comments is 27th December and a decision is expected to be made by 10th January 2013.

Tags:: Perlada Properties, PizzaExpress, Planning Applications

Comments

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

Clive Elliott

Tuesday 4^th December 2012 at 2:27 pm

It has got to be better than an empty shop and economic reality is that we arent going to get many offers of different use and/or independent shops. However planners do need to impose appropriate restrictions, eg hours/noise, in consideration of residents, especially those in Stevens Street.

Jon Williams

Tuesday 4^th December 2012 at 3:24 pm

Bring it on - much better than empty shops !

Sarah Lane

Tuesday 4^th December 2012 at 5:15 pm

Whilst agreeing that the residents of Stevens Street need to be given consideration of some sort they must expect noise and the bustle of life when buying a home so near shops in a village location. PizzaExpress sounds great to me. We shall give them business.

John Morris

Tuesday 4^th December 2012 at 7:11 pm

Yes sounds great, they'll get my business too!

Giles Watmough

Wednesday 5^th December 2012 at 1:15 am

it will damage gusto but keep kids out of the rest of the bars I hope.

Chris Stock

Wednesday 5^th December 2012 at 10:59 am

The staff, backed by the law, should be keeping the 'kids' out of the bars. If they are old enough to drink alcohol, they have as much right to be there as you do.

Brian Etchells

Thursday 6^th December 2012 at 6:28 am

Here's hoping the planners see sense this time. As for kids in bars, surely totally irresponsible parking, sometimes just dangerous is more an issue. On my last visit to Gusto it wasn't the "kids" making the racket, it was adults. I haven't been back since.

I say, if Pizza Express, or anyone else, wants to invest in our village "bring it on!!" but tell us first, unlike Tesco!

Kelvin Briggs

Saturday 8^th December 2012 at 6:47 am

Good luck to Pizza Exprees and thanks for investing in Alderley Edge. I hear they give free meals to local football 'player of the match' kids in Wilmslow and hope we can do the same for our Alderley Edge Hockey Club children. Like the partnering up with the community ideas.

Kevin Shaw

Tuesday 11^th December 2012 at 10:32 pm

Another restaurant?! Does anyone eat at home anymore!?

Rachael Tilling

Wednesday 12^th December 2012 at 12:22 pm

As a resident of Stevens Street, I am not opposed to the change of use of the building to accommodate a restaurant (at the moment it is solely for retail) but with that I would like some due consideration made to the fact we live within a stones throw and will be affected in many ways (traffic, noise, smells) as I'm absolutely sure you would too, if you lived here. That as yet has not happened, which is presumably why planning keeps failing. Of course we anticipated the hustle and bustle of village life, but I would like to point out that Alderley Edge is a village (and a fairly small one at that) not a town! We already feel the affects every weekend of anti social behaviour from the existing bars and restaurants (broken glass and sick on the street, woken up with screaming outside in the early hours on a regular basis, people parking over the drive because they can't find parking which means we can’t get our car off the drive in an emergency) and we don't complain, because we are tolerant people, who also enjoy the facilities to a point. But if we are expected to take a hit on our quality of life then we want it planning properly, keeping the impact to a minimum, particularly the increase in traffic. There are a considerable number of little children who live on the street (mine included) and those who back on to the street but use it for access. Drivers already race up and down the street (despite the fact it's one way) and I am very concerned that more traffic equals more danger. I think that's a reasonable position to take, don't you?