A new restaurant could soon be on its way to an area of central Swindon, with the owner hoping to take advantage of nearby regeneration schemes.

Nzar Mahmood has been given the go-ahead to use the ground floor of 13 Manchester Road, more latterly used as a shop which has since closed, as a restaurant.

His application said: “The building is currently vacant but was previously used as a Hoover Service Centre, selling appliances and providing assistance and maintenance where necessary. The vacancy presents itself with an opportunity to explore the most viable future uses whilst also positively contributing to the local community and economy.

“In July 2023, a previous application for a change of use from shop to takeaway and ground floor flat was submitted to Swindon Council, this was refused on the following grounds: The application involved the loss of a retail unit and does not demonstrate that the use would enhance the local retail function of the Local Centre.

“It is proposed to convert the ground floor from a vacant retail unit into a high-quality restaurant which will serve Middle Eastern cuisine.

"The applicant intends for the restaurant to restaurant to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner – bringing vitality to this part of Manchester Road throughout the day.”

Mr Mahmood’s application included a montage of pictures from other such restaurants and said: “The photomontage shows the aesthetic which the applicant is looking to achieve, creating an attractive and high-quality Middle Eastern restaurant offering unique to Swindon town centre.”

 

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The ground floor of the property will be used as a restaurant including a seating area, counter/bar area, restaurant kitchen and customer toilets. The rear of the ground floor will comprise a staff area, staff toilets and storage space for the restaurant use.

The application concluded: “The proposal will result in a significant improvement to the streetscape when compared with the existing vacant shopfront which appears dated.”

As part of the application, permission was needed to install a flue in the kitchen to take cooking smells away from the immediate area.

The Swindon Borough Council’s planning officer’s reports said the change from retail is against the council’s policy, but without the need for a flue the property could be used as a restaurant without planning permission and granted consent.