Busted vape shop to become takeaway

An shop in a Herefordshire market town which lost its premises licence over illegal sales could get a fresh start as a Chinese takeaway.

In February, Mr Vape in Ledbury’s High Street, which also functioned as an off-licence, lost its premises licence over what a Herefordshire Council trading standards officer described as “serious organised crime activity” at the shop.

Authorities had seized illegal cigarettes and rolling tobacco, some of it hidden the shop’s rear kitchen, during a raid last November.

Now a planning application (number 261508) has been put forward by local firm Ledbury Developments seeking full permission to turn it into a Chinese takeaway.

A statement with the application says that, though a grade II listed building within the town’s main conservation area, the changes to it would be “minimal” – particularly given it had earlier served as a restaurant.

Indeed it has gone through four different uses in just the last decade, having been a Thai restaurant, café and steakhouse before its most recent retail use, the statement adds.

“The proposal would contribute positively to the evening economy, complementing existing town centre uses and helping to diversify the offer available within Ledbury,” it concludes.

It is likely that any new signage at the takeaway would have to be approved separately. Its new name has not yet been released.

Comments on the current application can be made via the Herefordshire Council website until July 9, with a decision due four weeks later.