New plans have been submitted for a cafe on Christchurch Road, an area where residents have complained about ‘anti-social behaviour’ and previously opposed restaurant and takeaway plans.

The application for a new takeaway at 56 Christchurch Road, an old tool hire shop which has been vacant for more than 15 years, is from local businessman Tony Chima, with the cafe set to be called Coffee Corner.

Mr Chima previously applied for permission to convert the shop into a cafe but this was rejected in March due to the following missing information:

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  • Details of extraction equipment
  • A delivery and servicing plan, setting out how vehicles would access the unit without creating safety concerns and congestion
  • An assessment of the likelihood of odours based on the proposed cuisine and a statement of how odour nuisance will be prevented
  • An acoustic assessment to assess the noise impact on neighbours

The new application seeks to address the reasons for refusal, with each of these documents now provided.

Officers had also raised concerns the plan would lead to there being too few A1 (retail shops) and A2 (professional services, e.g. banks) and too many takeaways on the street.

But town planners Bell Cornwell, on behalf of Mr Chima, say the plan would be compliant with local policies, setting out why in detail.

The local businessman was given approval in December 2019 to turn a disused Natwest bank at 76 Christchurch Road into a fish and chip shop but has not yet gone ahead with that plan.

Reading Chronicle: PICTURED: Plans for a fish and chip shop on the same road from the same developer have not been taken forward yetPICTURED: Plans for a fish and chip shop on the same road from the same developer have not been taken forward yet

The 15-year-vacant 56 Christchurch Road unit has been previously described as “shabby” by officers and is in an area where concerns have been raised by residents about anti-social behaviour, as well as other issues, with student behaviour having been a concern for many years.

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The nearby bus stop at Christchurch Green has been a particular hotspot, with the university implementing a street warden scheme focused on dispersing students in this area.

Residents in the area have reported people vomiting and urinating in residents’ gardens, chanting and screaming until 3am and leaving cans of beer and pizza boxes on the streets.