Plans for 80-cover cafe included in proposed redevelopment at Alnwick Market Place

A planning application has been submitted for the conversion of a barber shop, cafe and salon, along with a vacant department store on the first floor, into a larger cafe/restaurant which spans both floors.

There are also plans to convert two flats, Market Cross Maisonettes, which span both first and second floors of a listed building, into a single luxury two bed serviced accommodation unit. A new access is proposed from the front of the building, which splits the ground commercial unit into two separate smaller commercial units.

A report on behalf of applicant Tom Robson states: ‘The external design changes will be limited due to the heritage and listed nature of the buildings.

‘The main changes will be the use of the buildings. We are proposing to increase the number of commercial units on the ground floor to the listed building and replace the first floor two residential units with serviced accommodation.

‘Units 1A, 1B & 1C consists of two commercial units and one café, which we propose to convert into one larger café/ restaurant, also incorporating the first floor department store. The restaurant will have a minimum capacity of 80 users over both floors.

‘The proposals are designed to increase footfall to the local area, provide more opportunities for local businesses and boost tourism.’

If approved, it is envisaged the construction works will be phased, with the serviced accommodation first due to the complexity of the work. The ground floor commercial units would form part of the second phase.