2Tees Foods, in Weyhill Road, to open new restaurant

2Tees Foods is an Afro-Caribbean food shop in Weyhill Road, which specialises in selling wholesale and retail African & Caribbean food products.

The owners applied for an extension on the opening hours of the premises, before setting their sights on joining a restaurant at the back of the shop where Afro-Caribbean food will be cooked and sold to customers. A dine-in and takeaway option will be available.

The proposal to extend the opening hours for the premises by two hours from 7pm until 9pm from Monday to Saturday was discussed at a meeting of Test Valley Borough Council's Northern area planning committee on Thursday, December 14.

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Inside 2Tees Food shop, Weyhill Road (Image: Mark Paine)

The premises has homes on either side of the building and used to be a cycle shop and cafe which closed in the summer of 2023.

The application sparked objection from neighbours including loss of amenity to neighbouring residential dwellings through noise as a result of extended hours, lack of parking, increase in waste and smell of food from the restaurant. Within the objections the change of use to a restaurant was not supported.

The opening times for the shop will not be extended, with the extension of two hours solely for the new restaurant to give customers the chance to get out and enjoy their evening with some great food.

In debate, Cllr Philip Lashbrook said: "I am fascinated by this application and I think the applicant is very brave to take this on, at this particular site.

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"I note the concerns of residents living nearby in the street, such as the smell of the food, and additional lighting, but I would say to them we have a very effective team of officers who deal with that, so I don't see anything in this application that warrants us refusing it. I will be supporting."

Cllr Zilliah Brooks said: "I have concerns about the noise impact of the new restaurant compared to the previous businesses that used to be based here. They used to close at 7pm when you didn't have the added noise, but with the added time and added traffic, it will increase the noise.

"I'm pleased to know that customers will be leaving the restaurant at 9pm, but there will be extra deliveries to the restaurant and food store. I am also concerned regarding the headlights as customers leave the restaurant and will glare into the properties opposite."

Cllr Iris Andersen expressed concerns regarding the light and added traffic in the area.

The application was supported by Cllr Luigi Gregori, who said: "This will cater for a different customer base and audience that is currently not catered for in the local area and is great for diversity in the town. I will be voting in favour of this proposal."

Eight members of the committee voted in favour of the proposal, with one against.