5:00pm Wednesday 11th November 2009
By Julie Magee
PART of a Bournemouth shopping centre could be transformed into an American-style restaurant hosting entertainment including flamenco dancers, rodeo shows, jazz bands and piano sing-alongs.
Chicago Rib is hoping to open five restaurants in southern England in the next four years, including a ground-floor eatery at the St Peter’s Quarter centre in St Peter’s Road.
An application for planning permission will go before the borough’s planning board on Monday.
Planning officer Julie Allington is recommending that permission is granted for the scheme and no objections have been raised by Dorset Police.
In a report to the board, Ms Allington says: “The theme of the restaurant would be American with a variety of entertainment proposed with regular themed nights based on cultural dining experiences.”
No letters of objection or support have been received from residents but town centre councillor Bob Chapman has called in the application.
Cllr Chapman has expressed concerns over the loss of retail floor space, “a further proliferation of licensed premises on St Peter’s Road” and fears that the restaurant could become a nightclub.
He also says noise levels are likely to have an impact on evening use at nearby St Peter’s Church.
The planning board will be recommended to grant approval for the restaurant with permission to serve food from 11am until 1am from Monday to Saturday and from 11am until midnight on Sundays and public holidays.
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