Walsingham Planning acts for a number of national public house and restaurant operators, including Greene King, Whitbread, Pizza Express and Bella Italia, advising on a range of matters including planning applications, appeals, and applications for listed building and advertisement consent.
Recently, we were successful in securing planning consent for a new 200 cover Hungry Horse Restaurant and Public House on a key redevelopment site at the Countess of Chester Health Park, on the edge of the historic City of Chester.
Given the prominent location of the site and its close proximity to a number of important heritage assets, design was a key issue with the Council, who were unwilling to accept a standard, ‘off the shelf’ design solution for the site, instead favouring a bespoke design reflective of the adjacent listed Georgian former hospital buildings.
Accordingly, working alongside the Project Architect, we evolved a scheme of high aesthetic quality, whilst also delivering the client’s specific operational requirements, and avoiding impacts on protected trees.
The application also raised complex issues relating to the loss of land allocated for employment development. Accordingly, we outlined to the Council the range of employment benefits Hotels and Pub/Restaurants can deliver; both directly and in terms of providing amenity and attraction to wider adjoining employment areas.