A cafe and takeaway dedicated to mac ‘n’ cheese is set to open on Newcastle’s Chillingham Road.
Plans have been approved to convert a former dry cleaners on the busy Heaton street to an eatery specialising in macaroni cheese.
Newcastle City Council have given the green light to proposals as a combined cafe and takeaway.
A planning application submitted by Sehgal Commercial Properties says the proposed opening hours would be between 8am and 8pm.
They add: “This proposal is for a full day time use of the premises and is focused on daytime trading. In comparison with a number of [hot food takeaway] properties solely in use, which are mainly open during the evening periods.
“These properties feature pulled down roller shutters for significant periods when the premises are closed and do not add to the principles of maintaining an active frontage during the daytime within the retail centre.
“Such properties do not contribute to the vitality and viability of the district shopping centre. “These proposals for the property will not feature any roller shutters.
“This operation has already been established within the Grainger Market for the last 15 months and the daytime trading for this type of prepared food operation, is well suited to a combined café and takeaway facility as proposed.”
The site has been empty since early 2020, and the plans say it was bought by the applicants in July.
The plans say: “This company specializes in investing and improving property significantly where the general maintenance has deteriorated, as is the case with this property.
“This is to the general benefit of the Chillingham Road district centre by improving the active frontage of the retail premises and carrying out significant upgrading of the balance of the property which is used for residential purposes on part of the ground floor and at the first floor level.
“The property is currently undergoing a complete overhaul with a clearer separation between the established residential use of the property at ground and first floor levels and the installation of a new shop front.”
They add: “This is an empty property shop and the proposals would enable the unit to be brought back into use and effectively support the vitality of the centre in this location
“[...] the proposal is significantly different from the adjoining pure hot food takeaway uses within this block.
“It is a full day time proposed use and would maintain an active frontage to this part of the retail centre and avoid a vacancy occurring within this important part of the core of the retail centre.”
The cafe will become the latest addition to a growing number of independent businesses and eateries in Heaton, with cafe/florist Fork in the Rose, Dot Bagels and Elder Beer Cafe among the traders to open in the Newcastle suburb in recent months.
