THE creation of a new healthy menu has helped the owner of a cafe to continue to operate as a hot food takeaway.

His original application to do so was rejected by planners in August as it was too close to schools.

But now Ali Zulfqar has finally got planning permission for the ‘to go’ service to stay at his Raja’s restaurant in Whalley Banks, Blackburn.

He had been allowed to offer a take-away service during the coronavirus pandemic.

The restaurant continued to do so after the blanket permission for cafes to provide a take-away service because of Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions was revoked in March.

After being contacted by Blackburn with Darwen Council enforcement officers Raja’s owner Mr Zulfqar applied to the authority for planning permission to keep his now unauthorised take-away trade from 11am till midnight Mondays to Sundays.

But officials refused the request.

Now planners have given him the go-ahead with restricted hours of takeaway service.

A report granting approval says: "The site is located within the Whalley Banks District Centre.

"Development therein is supported where it encourages a mix if uses, where it responds to the scale and function of the centre, and where an active frontage is maintained.

"The proposal is consistent with the policy requirement and is, therefore, supported in principle.

"Limited opening hours, of between 8am and 11pm will be secured via condition,

"Further, it is recognised that the premises have been operating late into the evening without complaint.

"The applicant submitted an evidently nutritional menu, as confirmed by the council’s public health consultee.

"As a departure from a typical hot food takeaway offer, it was considered justified to grant a personal permission (to the applicant), subject to approval of a continuously nutritional menu via condition, as an exceptional circumstance,.

"The daytime use (8am to 5pm) would be limited to an eat-in café. Takeaway would only be available from 5pm to midnight.

"Such limitation, secured via condition, would avoid conflict with school opening times, in the interests of tacking the issue of child obesity levels in the borough."