A FORMER tandoori takeaway in Stroud could be turned into flats and retail units.

A pre planning application has been submitted to convert the Nargis Tandoori in Nelson Street, which closed last year, into a mixed use development.

Plans include the creation of four commercial food and retail units at street level and eight flats above.

The site had previously been occupied by Wesleyan cottages, which were demolished in the 1970s, during the Tower Hill road widening scheme and part of the site is now occupied by the Parliament Street car park.

There are two proposals for the site - one which retains the existing Nargis building, with the extension of a row of similarly sized and shaped buildings up the road.

The second one sees the Nargis demolished and an entirely new row of buildings, also similar in size and shape to the former curry house, constructed.

In addition, there is also a proposal for a wider ranging development of the Parliament Street car park, introducing decked parking and a row of retail and residential units along Parliament Street.

A public community consultation about the proposed development was held on September 21.

Stroud based Vision Mill Architects have been creating designs for the site.

Managing director Nick Mills said: “The former Nargis Tandoori Takeaway in Nelson Street was purchased in 2020 by Marmaris Takeaway with a view to the possible redevelopment of the site to provide commercial retail and residential accommodation.

“A pre-application consultation was held earlier this year with Stroud District Council, which identified the site as a gap site in the town centre, where ‘further residential development is supported in principle due to its sustainable location and easy access to a range of services, facilities and public transport modes’.

“The promoter believes that a mixed-use development in this location would be a good use of the site and good for the vitality of the town in an environmentally sustainable location.

“However, there are planning policy matters regarding the quantum of housing, detail of the design, car parking, traffic movement, overshadowing, overlooking, overbearing and the fact that the site is in a conservation area and adjacent to listed buildings that need to be addressed in order for the proposed development to be granted planning permission.

“To this end a public community consultation was held on September 21, in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework, in order to hear the concerns of the general public.”

Following the consultation, residents raised concerns about the possible loss of parking spaces.

Mr Mills said: “Prior to a planning application being submitted, a town centre car parking survey will be carried out by our transport consultant.

“This will determine whether there are sufficient public car parking spaces available in Stroud to compensate for the loss of seven car parking spaces in Parliament Street car park.

“The London Road car park, for instance, is under-utilised at the present and may have sufficient excess to compensate for the loss of space in Parliament Street car park.

“The town centre car parking survey will establish whether this is the case.”

He added: “Further public community consultations are likely to be held in future before final designs are prepared and a planning application is submitted to Stroud District Council.”

The plans outlined here are at the pre-application stage, and would have to go through Stroud District Council’s planning system before going ahead.

A spokesman for Stroud District Council said: “Pre-application advice is a paid service offered to a person or organisation to advise them on the merits of a proposed development before a formal planning application is submitted. All pre-application consultations are treated as confidential.”

To view the plans see: bit.ly/3FGoozV