A much-loved Italian restaurant may open up a second Chester eatery in Hoole.
La Fattoria has been satisfying Cestrians’ appetites for tasty and traditional Italian fare from its Lower Bridge Street home since 2007, but now its owners have set their sights on a supermarket on Faulkner Street.
The landlord of the Co-op Food has already been granted permission to change the use of the site from retail to restaurant, after the the chain store disclosed it would not be extending its lease.
Now the team behind La Fattoria has applied to Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) to turn it into a 70-cover restaurant.
Their vision for the sister restaurant has been revealed in the design and access statement submitted to CWaC by Andy Foster Architects.
If they get the green light, the existing open-plan store area would be transformed into a space for up to 70 diners to sit.
A reception, waiting area, bar and feature pizza oven would form the rest of the venue.
Hoole is well-known for championing its independent businesses, but the design and access statement says the area is ‘saturated’ with retail units while restaurants and cafés ‘appear to be rather few’.
It suggests that a new eating place would ‘add to the diversity and vitality of Faulkner Street rather than diminish it’.
“It will ensure that the property itself would not fall vacant for a prolonged time and will be redeveloped to provide employment and an attractive destination for the local community,” the document states.
“It is hoped that this design and access statement demonstrates that the proposed works are well-considered proposals that will create a good opportunity for a new local business in Hoole, which will contribute to retaining and strengthening the character and diversity of the local area.”
