A POPULAR restaurant chain hoping to open its first Dorset premises in Bournemouth has submitted a licensing application.

Loungers Ltd, the cafe bar operators that run the Ludo, Circo, Conto and Arcade Lounges, has already lodged plans to open a Cosy Club restaurant in Bournemouth town centre.

Now the company has submitted a licensing application, seeking permission to serve alcohol until 11.30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday and until 1.30am Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The restaurant is planned for the former River Island shop in Old Christchurch Road, which has been on the market for the past 18 months.

The size of the building - it is arranged over five levels - has deterred many potential occupiers but the current plans are to use the ground floor as a shop with a Cosy Club restaurant on the first, second and third floors.

There are currently Cosy Club restaurants across the south west but this would be a first Dorset venue for the brand and an addition to their existing cafe bars in Christchurch, Winton, Southbourne and Westbourne.

Nick Collins, managing director of Loungers Ltd, said they had been looking for a Bournemouth location for some time and had specifically wanted a character property, rather than a purpose-built unit.

“We love putting Cosy Clubs into character buildings, we think it suits our brand, our quirky interiors,” he said. “We are very good at making the most of a period building and accentuating its features through our design and we’ve got some great spaces across the south west, including old banking halls and old post office sorting rooms.

“We trade in Bournemouth with the Lounges and so we know the community and we know and love the town.

“We’ve always had it on our radar for a Cosy Club but quite often it’s a case of waiting for the right property to come up. This one is not without its challenges, being over three floors and with an amazing roof terrace but once we realised we could make it work we were keen to go for it.”

Central ward councillor Mike Greene said it was “fantastic” news that Loungers were hoping to expand its Bournemouth offering. “To fill a space in such a large and prominent building would be great news and it shows the confidence that business people have in Bournemouth,” He said: “They’re a really professional, family-friendly company and it would be great to see them in the town centre.”

The planning application, which is currently under consideration by council officers, did not spark any objections from residents but did prompt some observations from Dorset Police’s crime prevention and design advisor John Green.

He said the layout of the premises did not “ease natural surveillance” and there could be problems with an external fire escape that led into a service area.

He added: “I would also suggest that in a lively town centre environment, the open balcony on the third floor will need to be carefully controlled to prevent annoyance to passers by.”

A decision on the planning application is expected within a few weeks.