Rural Lancashire village 'denied fish and chips' could soon get one - inside the Post Office
A rural Lancashire village could soon get a fish and chip shop - inside the Post Office building.
An application has been made to change the use of part of Chatburn’s Post Office in Bridge Street, into a hot food takeaway.
The present business is a general food store including fruit and veg, tinned goods, frozen foods, alcohol, newspapers and magazines with a supporting Post Office providing a popular service to Chatburn and the surrounding villages, including Downham, Sawley, Holden, Bolton by Bowland, Grindleton, West Bradford with passing trade, all outside Clitheroe.
There is a hot food takeaway business on the opposite side of Bridge Road - a former fish and chip shop, which presently and for many years has served as a Chinese takeaway only.
“Deprived”
A planning statement to Ribble Valley Borough Council on behalf of applicant Mohamed Mohamed-Ghouse says: “As a consequence, Chatburn and the surrounding villages have been deprived of a trading takeaway in the form of principally fish and chips (Hot Food Takeaway). The applicant proposes to vary their present service by providing a Hot Food Takeaway outlet within the present trading complex for a much needed and popular additional product.”
Where would it be?
It is proposed that the takeaway would run from the Ribble Lane entrance to the Post Office and would require reconfiguration of storage space for the retail unit and a new separation wall. There would be a three tank deep fat fryer range, preparation table and a flue extration system needed - but the applicant states this will not be visible from the general street scene.
Historic site
The building contains a blue plaque on its Ribble Lane elevation, telling of a key episode in Chatburn’s history. The plaque, which was commissioned by Chatburn Parish Council, was unveiled in 2017 by Jean Stratton, who lived with her family in the post office. She remembered how, on October 30, 1940, two German bombs fell on the site, killing three people and injuring many more.
A decision on the change of use will be made by Ribble Valley Borough Council in coming weeks.