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Plans to build restaurants and food outlets at former car showroom now off the menu

Church Street Banbridge

Plans to develop a number of restaurants and food outlets on the site of a former Banbridge car showroom have been taken off the menu.

Proposals for the development on the Lurgan Road had first been lodged with ABC Council back in September 2021.

At that stage, the plans had been to build two shops and a restaurant on the site at 51 and 51B Church Street and lands to the north east.

Amended proposals emerged in 2022, from McEvoy Property Developments, which detailed three planned food outlets.

That application sought approval to build a restaurant, as well as a “restaurant/coffee shop for the sale of food or drink for consumption on the premises or for hot food for consumption off the premises”, and a takeaway unit too.

It had indicated that around eight jobs would have been created when up and running.

Plans had previously been given the thumbs-up in December 2019 for a retail restaurant and coffee shop at the earmarked location.

The location is currently described as a “vacant retail unit and car parking”.

The site at 51 Church Street had previously been a former car sales showroom, vacant for about eight years.

When plans were previously approved it was cited to be part of a “mixed-use commercial, retail and church complex”.

There had been no planned ‘end users’ for any of the units, according to earlier correspondence with planning officials.

The proposals had been before council but, according to the NI Planning Portal, the application is now being listed as ‘withdrawn’.

It is not yet known if a fresh application for the site will follow.

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