PLANS for a cafe by day and Ethiopian restaurant in the evening have been approved for a busy Swansea street.
The new venture will be based at the former Lee Mill Fabrics shop on Oxford Street, close to the junction with Dillwyn Street.
There’ll be seating on the ground floor, plus the kitchen and office space, with more seats and toilets above. A planning agent representing applicant Dawit Bisrat said a full refurbishment was taking place.
Swansea Council planning officers said Lee Mill Fabrics was now trading from a larger premises nearby and that the proposed change of use from retail to food and beverage was acceptable to help ensure empty units were occupied.
The officers’ decision report said there was a long-standing history of vacant shops along the lower section of Oxford Street, and that while there was a policy focus on protecting retail, attempts had been made to find a replacement retailer for the former fabrics shop.
“The Welsh Government recognises that retailers have faced financial difficulty and consequently vacancy rates have risen dramatically in commercial centres,” said the report. “It emphasises how commercial centres must adopt a more flexible approach allowing for more leisure uses, amongst other uses, to create a hub of activity thus making commercial centres viable as go-to destination once again.”
Cafes and restaurants, it said, helped ensure that footfall generated by shops was retained within the city centre.
Some planning conditions were imposed, including that the cafe and restaurant can’t open before 8am or after 11pm.
