An application to transform a disused high street unit into a Wimpy fast food restaurant has been approved by West Suffolk Council.
Number 65 High Street in Haverhill has been empty for nearly two years after formerly trading as a job centre.
Before opening as a job centre, the property had previously operated as a bank, estate agents and freezer centre.
The resident who made the application, Kemal Nafi, was the first to take interest in the property since it went on the market and lives nearby.
The application for a change of use was submitted in December 2019 and plans for the unit were approved on Friday, October 23.
The property will be completely refurbished before opening as a Wimpy restaurant – an addition to the company’s 66 locations already operating across England.
The well-known chain offers casual dining style diners with table service and a variety of fast food including burgers, breakfasts and ice cream desserts.
There are currently several other Wimpy restaurants in the region such as Felixstowe, King’s Lynn, Colchester, Braintree and Peterborough.
It is proposed the restaurant will provide both eat-in and takeaway services.
New ventilation and kitchen extraction systems will be installed as well as silencers on the roof above the ground floor to minimise noise breakout.
The design and access statement, by Spencer Architecture, concludes: “This change of use will enable the building to be brought back into use with a nationally known restaurant chain who wishes to invest in the Haverhill economy.”
Three objections were made to the application from neighbours of the premises.
They cited concerns about noise, congestion and the addition of another fast food style takeaway facility to the high street.
Suffolk Highways was satisfied there wouldn’t be any impact on traffic from the development.
Haverhill Town Council took a neutral stance on the application, choosing neither to object or side in favour.
The restaurant will be open between 8.30am and 10pm each day and deliveries to the premises will be restricted to between 8.30am and 6pm Monday to Sunday.
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