Flats plan for Shrewsbury Indian restaurant left empty for more than 15 years
A former Indian restaurant which has stood empty for more than 15 years could get a new lease of life.
Plans have been submitted to Shropshire Council to transform the Parveen Balti, which stands at the bottom of Wyle Cop in Shrewsbury in to flats.
News of that the building could be renovated has been welcomed by members of the town's Civic Society who have long campaigned for something to happen to the three storey building.
Mike Carter, the civic society's chair of planning said: "Shrewsbury Civic Society is concerned about a small number of buildings that are in poor repair and undermine our generally good looking streets.
"We maintain a list of such properties and when possible, try to prompt repairs.
"We are pleased that a few buildings have been taken off our list as they have undergone renovation.
"We don’t like making public the details of the buildings for obvious reasons, but in one case recently, this has been done in letters to the press. It is the case of the old Parveen Balti restaurant at 36, Wyle Cop.
"For a long time this building has looked in a poor state and mars the historic street of independent shops. We think there should have been a maintenance order served a long time ago but various factors intervened such as an application to site an ATM in the window, which was rejected.
"However, there is now a planning application to refurbish the upper floors for accommodation. Due to comments from the Conservation Department and the Civic Society these have now been amended to include repair and redecoration of the street frontage.
“At last we have a possible solution to this sad building that currently undermines Wyle Cop. Let’s encourage hasty actions to improve the building."
The building's owners, Mr Khan from Birmingham, as applied to the council to convert the first floor into residential flat. He believes that having the first and second floor as flats will bring back live into the building and in turn bring some life to the area.
The application will now go before Shropshire Council's planning committee at a date to be arranged.
