PLANS have been submitted to transform a former newsagents into a new pizza takeaway.

ELson News in Hartford closed last July when owner Alex Elson called time on his 12-year stint in Chester Road to retrain as an electrician.

Now a proposal has been submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council to change the use of the premises to a 'hot food takeaway'.

According to the plans, which also include the installation of a flue, the new occupiers of the unit will be 'Dough Bro's'.

The floor plans indicate a pizza oven will be installed behind a service counter, with a seating area created at the front of the takeaway.

If approved, the application form states the new takeaway would create one full-time job alongside five part-time staff roles.  

The proposed opening hours of the takeaway would be 4pm to 10pm Monday to Sunday.

One Hartford resident, while not objecting to the plans, raised concerns over the limited parking in Chester Road.

Submitting their comment to the council's online planning portal, the resident said: "As a fan of pizza, I have no objection to another pizza restaurant - even though it will be right next door to the existing pizza outlet: Chime.

"The purpose of this comment however, is to hope for a condition to be added to planning permission around parking.

"Chester Road is a busy road with very limited parking on the road itself - which is shared by the Coop, Red Lion Pub, Chime restaurant, Stores delicatessen and a number of other local shops.

"Having home delivery vehicles parking in those spaces would cause significant inconvenience to local residents and customers of other businesses as well as traffic issues.

"The condition I would ask to be added to the planning is that delivery vehicles (including but not limited to Uber Eats and Deliveroo) should not park on Chester Road but should park in the large car park opposite - or alongside the new restaurant off the road."

To view and comment on the plans, search reference 24/00451/FUL on the planning portal.