Pepe’s Piri Piri restaurant plans hailed as ‘good news’ for Bangor city centre

A grilled chicken restaurant chain is planning to develop a branch at an empty building on Bangor High Street

Pepe’s Piri Piri has more than 80 restaurants around the UK. Earlier this month, it announced that is would be opening its first North Wales restaurant on the retail park in Marina Quay retail park in Rhyl.

The company said the latest proposals to covert the ground floor areas of the former Lounge Club and Bar would be “beneficial” for the local community.

Dwyrain Bangor ward Councillor Dylan Fernley has hailed the proposed development as “a good thing” for Bangor, claiming it would bolster business in the area and help regenerate the city centre.

It comes as Cyngor Gwynedd has received a planning application to convert the empty pub at 342 High Street into a restaurant and take-away.

The scheme also include changes to the shop front of the building and would see the installation of an extraction flue at the rear.

In April, another scheme to convert the rest of the building into flats received the green light.

Cyngor Gwynedd’s planning committee approved the application to create nine one-bedroom self-contained flats.

The project was also welcomed by local politicians for providing “much needed” homes, and for helping to transform a former commercial premises into living accommodation.

Speaking about the restaurant plan, Cllr Fernley said: “I think it will be a good thing for the far end of Bangor High Street the restaurant will make use of what is a ground floor part of the building which is currently empty.

“It will help give a boost to the local economy and add to the number of thriving businesses along that patch, including a garage, a chip shop, estate agents and flats down there.”

Planning documents accompanying the application state: “The proposed restaurant will help regenerate the current building and help inject money back into the community by providing jobs to locals and providing a healthy option of food.

“The overall design of the building externally will remain the same with a proposed new shopfront and new signage above.

“The internal layout will be altered on the ground floor to provide a suitable layout for a restaurant.

“The proposal will serve the large local community of which are residential and commercial with healthy grilled food.”

The restaurant would also employ five full and part-time staff. The opening hours would be 11am – 11.30pm on weekdays and 11am – 11.30pm on weekends.

The proposals will be considered by the council at a later date.

By Dale Spridgeon – Local Democracy Reporter