An Indian restaurant in Stevenage has been granted permission to become a chicken shop - and retain the existing Indian takeaway service too.

Taste of India, at 48A High Street, made the application earlier this year.

After council planning officers granted permission, they will now be able to convert the ground floor into a chicken shop, while the first floor will become an Indian takeaway.

Documents submitted with the application said that Taste of India have "struggled since Covid to fill out the restaurant".

"The current owners are tied into a long lease agreement and therefore have had to look at other ways to generate income since Covid.

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"The restaurant currently runs a successful takeaway service and this is the reason they are applying to retain a takeaway kitchen at first floor, which has always been the kitchen for the restaurant."

Downstairs, the chicken shop will continue to have active frontage, a counter, and seating.

Currently, Taste of India is only open from 5pm. The takeaway will continue to be open from 5pm only, while the chicken shop will be open from midday until 1am every day.

The applicant argued that the proposed opening hours "would not have a negative impact" on neighbours, and that "there is no conclusive evidence that [takeaways] contribute to a rise in anti-social behaviour or crime."

According to the application, a prospective tenant is already in place to take on the chicken shop lease.

Planning officers said that they "acted proactively through positive engagement with the applicant during the determination process", and chose to permit the change of use on the condition that takeaway collections are only from the front of the building.