Plans for a new diner and drive-through restaurant on Cowper
Road, Eden Business Park, are set to finally receive approval over 16months
after the plans were submitted to the council.
The planning application, which seeks to establish a
single-story diner with a drive-through facility, will be considered by
councillors at the upcoming Westmorland and Furness Eden area planning
committee meeting on the 6th September, 2023, at Penrith Town Hall.
The proposed Diner and Drive-Through is designed to cater to
the needs of workers on Eden Business Park and Gilwilly Industrial Estate the
application states. The site's owner has submitted the application after been
approached by a prospective tenant seeking accommodation for a new premises
able to serve food to workers on the Industrial Estate.
The architectural concept of the restaurant showcases innovative
design, prominently featuring a full-height glazed front wall under an extended
roof canopy. Plans reveal that the diner will have seating for 28 covers
internally and will incorporate a pair of drive-through serveries located at
the rear of the building. The development will also have 18 parking spaces
along with a new road access point to the site.
The council’s planning officer has said “The proposal would
not compete with the main Town Centre, and indeed practically all the
equivalent diner/ drivethrough restaurant are all themselves beyond the defined
Town Centre (McDonalds, Tim Hortons, KFC, not to mention the various mobile catering
units including Ship’s Galley situated on Gilwilly Road for at least 7 years).”
“The recent closure of the Rooster Grill at the Haweswater Rd entrance into the
Gilwilly Industrial Estate means there is a gap in the market for this type of
development out of the Town Centre.”
The application is going before the planning committee after
Senior planners at the council considered the application contrary to the local
plan as the site is on land allocated for employment.
Planning officers have said “The proposal technically
constitutes a departure from the development plan insofar as the
restaurant/diner whilst it will need a number of staff to operate - is not
primarily an employment use, contrary to the Local Plan designation for the
land to be used for employment land. That notwithstanding, the benefits are
deemed to outweigh the harm and an exception to policy is considered acceptable
in this circumstance.”
The application is recommended by planning officers for
approval to the council’s planning committee, but the development will face
some strict conditions imposed by planning officers. The development shall be
used only as a Diner/Drive through restaurant and no other use, and the opening
hours will also be restricted to no later than 19:00 on any given day to
discourage anti-social behaviour.
The application is one of a number of applications waiting a
decision of 12 months or more currently with Westmorland and Furness council in
the local area. The application for the new diner and drive-through restaurant has
awaited a decision by planners for over 16 months. The application was
originally received by Eden District Council on the 25th April 2022 and is due
to be decided by planning committee at its meeting on the 6th September 2023.
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