Flats plan for former Indian restaurant in Wigan

An Indian restaurant is once again the subject of plans for flats.

Atahur Rahman wants to build six apartments at Rahman's Indian Restaurant on Belle Green Lane in Ince.

Mr Rahman has sought change of use permission from Wigan Council which would see the eatery on the ground floor and shared living accommodation on the first storey turned into five one bedroom flats and a two bedroom flat.

The application comes after Mr Rahman submitted the same plans for the building last year, but they have not materialised.

In the past, the site has attracted controversy from residents and when the restaurant was approved back in 2011, there were five letters of objection lodged by the public. These included complaints about the lack of parking, blocking of roads, noise and odours.

The restaurant was allowed to open between 11am and 11pm Monday to Sundays.

Before the restaurant development the property was occupied by the Bush Hotel, a pub on the ground floor and accommodation on the first floor.

The application reads: “The application is a change of use from restaurant on the ground floor and shared living accommodation on the first floor to five one bedroom flats and a two bedroom flat.

“The current use of the site is ground floor - restaurant and first floor - three bedroom shared accommodation.”

And with parking being a concern raised by locals, the developer stated in his first bid that the proposed flats will require fewer spaces than the restaurant.

They said: “The current approved use has the potential to generate a demand of upwards of five car parking spaces from 10-15 employees and an additional demand of beyond 25 spaces from the 90-seater restaurant.

“In comparison, the proposed flats will have a parking demand of around six spaces and therefore represents a significant reduction in parking demand on the adjoining adopted highways.

“The site has 35m of kerb side street frontage on Belle Green Lane and Battersby Street which is sufficient to accommodate six vehicles. Parking is also available on the access/service road along the southern boundary.”

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here and viewing our offers...