Pizza takeaway plan for former NatWest bank building

Pizza takeaway plan for former NatWest bank building

PLANS have been lodged to turn a former bank building in Cleckheaton into a pizza takeaway and coffee lounge.

The building has been left empty since May 2018 when NatWest closed its branch in town on Bradford Road.

A two-storey corner property, the building has attracted no interest with its current planning use class, according to documents submitted as part of the planning bid to Kirklees Council.

Leeds-based Willow Properties (Yorkshire) has submitted the change of use plans for the bank, with the upper floor to be used for business use.

It follows the sale of the building at auction in June, for more than double its guide price.

The 2,000 sq ft property, had a guide price of £75,000 when it went under the hammer at a Pugh property auction, described as a “handsome period property” and in a “great location next to Cleckheaton Town Hall”.

The lot sold for £166,000 although details of the buyer were not made public at the time.

Now within the planning application from Willow Properties, the design and access statement states that a suitable tenant has been found and has entered into a long term lease subject to gaining planning approval.

“The new tenant proposes to relocate his existing business Tarantino Pizza currently based in Albion Street, Cleckheaton, to within the ground floor of the property.

“The business would offer hot food including pizza, pasta and burgers for takeaway and delivery. This part of the business would be entered from the north elevation via the existing entrance door.

“To help diversify the business it is proposed to include a coffee lounge to the area fronting Main Street. This would operate only during the day time with a new door access formed from the former original door opening on the corner of the building.”

It adds that the tenant has many years experience running this type of business and their existing business is “very well reviewed on social media”.

It is proposed that the business would be open from 11am to midnight Sunday to Thursday, and until 2am on Friday and Saturday.

To convert the ground floor, work would involve minor external alterations, including sand blasting and cleaning the existing facade, replacement of the existing windows and doors and forming two new access doors from existing openings.

A full internal refurbishment of the ground floor would also be required.

The first floor layout would remain the same, although a separate external doorway would be created. The offices would be let separately.

The building is adjacent to the Obediah Brooke, a JD Wetherspoon pub, which itself expanded into the adjoining former Lloyds bank building last year.