by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporting Service.
A plan to convert the Actors Bar and Club on Maiden Street, Weymouth into four residential homes has been refused.
Other town centre plans include approval for the Pepe’s Piri Piri chicken chain on the former Post Office site.
There have been several, different, applications for the nightclub property, each failing to gain approval, including a similar scheme in 2024, although an application for three homes on the site was approved in the summer of 2022.
The latest plan included roof alterations and an additional floor level and would have created two 3-bed properties and two 4-bed.
Planning officers were concerned about the flood risk to the site and the impact the homes would have on the setting of neighbouring properties in Bond Street.
Nearby in the town centre plans for the conversion of the former Post Office into a restaurant and take-away for the Pepe’s Piri Piri chain have been approved.
The building has been empty for several year and was last open at a post office in 2013 with the national chain saying there will be little external changes to the exterior, which sits within the town Conservation area, although extensive alterations are planned inside.
It says the chicken-based business will employ 10 full-time and 5 part-time staff, and plans to open from 11am until 2am daily. The plans suggest it is likely to seating for around 40 people with inside eating the main focus of the business.
Said a planning agent for the Midlands-based business: “The proposed restaurant will provide a family friendly dining experience with family seating areas, providing healthy grilled food, as part of the new healthy style of living, something which is limited in the area and would be very successful.”
Previous applications for the building have included a mix of offices and flats.
The former post office in St Thomas Street. Image: Google