Plans to replace a long-running menswear shop with a restaurant and takeaway have been given the go-ahead despite local opposition. Cayzers Menswear on Chepstow Road in Newport sold jackets, shirts, ties and much more to customers around the city for 115 years before shutting its doors in November.
The shop, which was one of Newport's last remaining dedicated menswear outlets, had been open since 1905 and its closure marked the end of an era in Maindee, one of the city's most diverse areas. The building has remained empty since and earlier this year plans to convert it into a Turkish restaurant and takeaway were submitted to Newport City Council.
Council planners have now given the plans the green light, despite locals raising fears over the number of takeaways in the area, anti-social behaviour and parking.
Read more: The once bustling high street now fighting for its future
According to the plans, the ground floor of the property will become a takeaway and dining area with plans for a function room for private meetings and banquets with additional seating for up to 20 covers upstairs. It would be open from 9am until 11pm and would employ seven full-time and seven part-time staff.
A number of complaints were submitted by residents and traders in the area, with concerns being raised over parking and impact on existing businesses. One resident on nearby Glebe Street objected, saying: "We already struggle with parking on our street this is just going to add more madness to the surrounding areas as people turn up to park and use this venue for pleasure. This is a residential area and despite the parking scheme it is currently not benefiting the residents in any way. This will only cause more pollution and problems on our street and the residential areas. Please respect that people want to live peacefully, not have a hoard of traffic and people issues around their house. It [is] already really bad as it is and any more will just cause more and more upset to all the people who live here."
One resident claimed another takeaway on the street, which already has several, would lead to more anti-social behaviour and said there was not enough parking provision for the business. They added: "A restaurant of this size would be best located in the city centre. If this application were to be approved it would only undermine other businesses in the area, that would be negatively impacted by the loss of parking. The existing use the premises is retail and it should remain a retail unit.
One business owner said: "I believe that this should be denied as it will cause issues with my business which is already struggling in the current climate."
However, city planners said there was no indication that the development would give rise to anti-social behaviour, provided that opening hours were limited to between 9am and 11pm. Regarding parking, they said: "Visitors to the restaurant could be accommodated without displacing existing parking demand" due to the nearby Maindee pay and display car park. They also decided the plans "will not... give rise to an unacceptable balance" of food and drink outlets in Maindee and approved the application with conditions.
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