Grilled chicken restaurant plans hailed as ‘good news’ to help regenerate Bangor town centre

A grilled chicken restaurant chain is planning to develop a branch at an empty building on Bangor high street
Pepe’s Piri Piri – has more than 80 restaurants around the UK.
Earlier this month, it announced that is would be opening its first North Wales restaurant on the retail park in Marina Quay retail park in Rhyl.
The developers say the latest proposal to covert the former ground floor areas of the former Lounge Club and Bar would be “beneficial” for the local community to “provide a healthy style of grilled food.”
Dwyrain Bangor ward Councillor Dylan Fernley has hailed the proposed development “a good thing” for Bangor saying it will could bolster business in the area and help regenerate the town centre.
It comes as Cyngor Gwynedd received a planning application to convert the empty pub at 342 High Street into “a restaurant and ancillary take-away facility.”
The scheme also include “changes to the shop front of the building and would see the installation of an extraction flue at the rear.”
The proposal has been submitted by Jakir Raza through Birmingham agents Architecture & Interior Design Ltd – the planning documents relate to a Pepe’s project.
In April, there were no objections to another scheme to convert the rest of the building once home to a Conservative Club and a Sports Bar.
Cyngor Gwynedd’s planning committee approved the full application which called for the change of use and conversion of 340-342 High Street, into nine one-bedroom self-contained flats.
That application was made by Llion Thomas of Penmaenmawr JAT Construction Ltd, through Huw Evans, of Chester-based Huw Evans Planning
That project was also welcomed by local politicians for providing “much needed” homes, and for being “in keeping” with Welsh Government policies to transform previous commercial premises into living accommodation in town centres.
Speaking of the restaurant plan Coun Fernley said: “I think it will be a good thing for the far end of Bangor High Street the restaurant will make use of what is a ground floor part of the building which is currently empty.
“It will help give a boost to the local economy and add to the number of thriving businesses along that patch, including a garage, a chip shop, estate agents and flats down there.”
The applicant says in the plans’ design and access statement:
“The proposed restaurant will help regenerate the current building and help inject money back into the community by providing jobs to locals and providing a healthy option of food,” which it claimed was “limited in the area.”
It added “The overall design of the building externally will remain the same with a proposed new shopfront and new signage above.
“The internal layout will be altered on the ground floor to provide a suitable layout for a restaurant.
“The proposal will serve the large local community of which are residential and commercial with healthy grilled food.”
The restaurant would also seek to employ five full/part time staff.
The opening hours would be Monday to -Friday : 11am – 11.30pm, Saturday to Sunday, 11am – 11.30pm. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​