Sweet shop told to remove marquee submits cafe plan

A new cafe and takeaway could be built on land behind an Indian sweet shop in Wolverhampton after its owners were told to take down an unauthorised marquee.

Amritsar Sweets and Catering in Blakenhall installed the marquee behind its shop without planning permission in 2022, but was told to take it down by City of Wolverhampton Council last year.

A new planning application by Mahinder Singh includes plans to build a 20-seat cafe and takeaway behind the shop with an entrance from Sedgley Road.

A planning application by the Dudley Road sweet shop owners asking for retrospective permission to allow the marquee to remain was rejected by the council in January.

The owners then appealed to the government's planning inspectors in a bid to get the decision overturned, but were turned down again.

Council planners said the marquee was "out of scale" and made from "poor-quality materials" that "detracted from the appearance and character of the street".

The local authority added that congestion was already a problem in Dudley Road and parking was at a premium.

The store opened opened in 2020 and the marquee was erected in early 2022, according to the application.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.