Planning permission has been granted for the old Chiquito site at Valley Centertainment to turn into a ‘giant’ Wetherspoons, serving nearly 300 customers at the site.
The restaurant site has been sat empty for the last two years after The Restaurant Group closed 22 other sites alongside the Valley Centertainment branch. The restaurant operator cited a downturn from COVID-19 as the main reason in which 60 out of its 80 total branches closed, costing 1,500 jobs.
The planning approval from Sheffield City Council means the first steps towards renovating the site into a Wetherspoon’s site can begin. The pub chain brings in approximately 104 million customers annually on the promise of affordable prices and an extensive menu of alcoholic drinks and traditional pub-style dishes.
Efforts from the JD Wetherspoons group will bring the promise of cheap pints to the Valley Centertainment site, which is home to big-name chains such as Five Guys, Hollywood Bowl, Pizza Express, and a Cineworld.
The approval means the JD Wetherspoons group can change the use of the site from just a restaurant to a mixed class restaurant and public house.
Planning consultants CarneySweeney, in the initial planning application, said that “the unit was previously in use as a restaurant and is currently vacant, offering an opportunity to bring the premises back into active use in a way that supports the local economy and enhances the vitality of the area.”
The group also stated that the proposed Wetherspoons will support both dining and social drinking, and offer a complimentary addition to the food offered at Valley Centertainment.
The council told the Wetherspoons group that they have to submit details of the raised planters, portable walls, and barriers to be put in place in the outdoor area of the pub, which is set to seat up to 92 people. The details of the exterior decorations will be approved separately, but will not impact the decision made for the building as a whole.
An opening date has yet to be announced, but residents expect works on the site to move quickly to coincide with the expected increase in footfall for summer seasons in the leisure complex.