Plans for a vacant Alsager town centre unit to be brought back into full-time use as a café bar have been lodged.

M and T Poole Group SIPP have submitted a change of use application for 44, Crewe Road, Alsager, from offices to a café bar.

In April 2019, a change of use application from offices to a restaurant at the same location was granted permission by Cheshire East.

However, since that application was approved, the development has not been implemented due to "market uncertainty" surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.

But, the applicant has now secured a tenant, Titanic, who wish to open a new unit from the building. Titanic who are a small brewery business also operate a small chain of café bars called 'The Bod Café Bar'.

Bod Cafe Bars aim 'to generate a relaxing and comfortable environment where all the local community can come together, meet and socialise'.

The company originate from Stoke-on-Trent and operate a number of café bars on the same premise as is proposed for 44 Crewe Road including in Stafford, Stoke Station and Trentham.

The company are "extremely conscious" about the environment and have introduced a number of steps to ensure the business is as "sustainable as possible".

Some of the measures that have been taken are:

- Source produce as local as possible and use suppliers who share their passion for sustainability such as coffee and beer.

- Fully recyclable cups including lids.

- Bio-degradable straws.

- Branded reusable cups and discounts for people using their own cups.

- Only sell cold drinks in glass bottles, cans or cartons – no plastic.

- Brown papers bags for takeaways.

These units operate as a community facility and café bar throughout the day and evening. It is intended that the Alsager premises would operate in a similar way.

The unit, whilst providing coffee, snacks and food throughout the day expects sales from 6pm onwards to generally be 'wet led'.

As part of the proposed change of use the following alterations are proposed:

• Provision of a ramped access to the unit.

• Provision of a raised external dining area to the front of the property.

• Provision of a lightweight extension on the side of the property.

• Internal modifications at ground floor to provide a small kitchen and prep area to serve the café and creation of a bar area.

• An open plan dining area.

• Provision of disabled WC and baby change at ground floor.

• Modifications at first floor to provide toilet facilities, private dining room, office and store accommodation.

• Two small external storage areas at the rear of the building and a separate bin storage area.

The two-storey property is not listed nor located in the Conservation Area. The property is however referred to in the Cheshire East Council's, local list of historic buildings.

The site is set back from Crewe Road, with a forecourt area to the front and a parking area at the rear.

The last known use of the building was as a solicitor's office, but the building has been vacant since Edward Hollinshead Solicitors vacated the premises in approximately 2016/2017.

If the previously approved application for the site had been submitted today, it would have not required planning permission as the use of solicitor offices to restaurant both fall within the Class E as indicated in the new Uses Classes Order published in September 2020.

Planning permission was required in this instance as café/ bars falls within a Sui Generis use rather than Class E.

The council's recommended parking standards are one parking space for each five square metres of public floor area for such uses.

The size of the public floor area at 44 Crewe Road equates to 141m2 thus meaning that the recommended parking available should be 29 spaces.

However, the parking layout proposed accommodates seven car parking spaces including one disabled space.

Nevertheless, the applicant highlighted that there are three public car parks in close proximity to the site; Well Lane Car Park some 140m to the south of the site which has 18 free parking spaces; Station Road Car Park (250m approximately to the south west of the site) with 60 free parking spaces available and Fairview Car Park (450m to the east of the site) with 288 free parking spaces available.

The application also stated that due to the unit focusing their operations on being "sustainable" they would "encourage" patrons to follow this "ethos" and travel by foot.

If approved, the café bar would be open from 9am to 11pm, Monday to Sunday.

The last date for submitting comments on the application which can be viewed here is 23rd June.

Cheshire East are expected to make a decision on the application through delegated powers by 15th July.