Restaurant plan cooked up for Cheshire school building

Bolesworth Investment Co is looking to create a recreational hub and accessible trails at a grade two-listed building on a 5.5-acre site off Harthill Lane in Harthill.

This would involve a change of use and alterations to the former cookery school building and schoolmaster’s house to create a restaurant and staff apartment.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning committee will decide on the proposals when it meets next week on Tuesday, 13 August.

Plans include demolishing the rear 1960s extension and conservatory and adding a single-storey rear extension with patio areas.

An old barn would be torn down to make way for a storage building, cold room store, and bin store area.

Accessible trails and associated landscaping would be developed on land formerly used as a mountain-boarding centre and bike park.

Day Architectural drew up the designs. Credit: via planning docs

The proposals also include the addition of a play area, alterations to existing access, and 59 car park spaces with four EV charging points.

Officers have recommended approval, advising that the development would see part of a disused recreational facility brought back into use with the old cookery school transformed into a restaurant.

Goodwin Planning Services, Day Architectural, SCP, Purcell, Environmental Associates, Mulberry Tree Management, WML Consultants, Arbtech, Bolesworth, Sandy Brown, Egniol, and Zenergi make up the project team

To view the plans, search for application reference number 23/01923/FUL on Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning portal.