Is curry house a way to spice up village?

Dec 15 2007 by Liz Hands, The Journal

VILLAGERS are objecting to plans for a curry house in the heart of their community.

Five objectors say the proposals to turn an empty high street shop into an Indian restaurant and takeaway will create noise, odour and too much traffic.

They also say a curry house will ruin the character of Rothbury, a conservation area, and make it feel more like a town than a village.

But a group of three supporters say Rothbury is in need of greater choice, with the nearest Indian restaurant 12 miles away in Alnwick, and welcome the re-use of one of the village’s empty shops.

Engineer Ross Ord, 31, who lives in an upstairs High Street flat next to the proposed site with his partner Vicky Welch and their children, said: “There are a lot of people for it in Rothbury, but they will not have to live next door to it.

“We have got a garden and we are going to get a lot of smell off the kitchens. It is not particularly desirable. You pass any takeaway in town and you can smell it way before you get there. You hang your washing in the garden and you will be able to smell the curry spice on it.

“It is just going to attract loud noise late at night. I do not particularly want them waking me up. We have got children here all the time – is it going to affect their sleeping patterns?”

Fellow objector, researcher Cheryl Lickiss, 42, of Riverside, said: “Rothbury is a very nice village and it has got some very nice shops and a feel to it and I just felt that an Indian restaurant bang in the middle of the street, as much as I love Indian food, I just do not think that is the place for it.

“It would be far better if they had found a site that was away from the village shops. It will not feel like a village any more, it would feel more like a town street.”

But supporter Sue Aviston, who lives in High Street, said: “What we find, only living in Rothbury for five years, is the amount of travelling we have to do to get an Indian takeaway. We are concerned about the environment. It is nice to have a variety of food in Rothbury. I think it is a positive for the village, rather than have four or five places selling the same food.”

Supporter Ron Bernstein, of Wagtail Road, believes there is some nimbyism about the objections.

He said: “You can not get away from the fact that a curry is Britain’s favourite takeaway. Whilst I am not a curry-holic, the only box Rothbury did not tick for me was that it did not have a curry house.”

Rothbury Parish Council has raised no objections to the application, for change of use of the former Shiltons clothing shop.

The application is from Abu Essa, of Wallsend, who owns two other curry houses on Tyneside.

A first application was withdrawn earlier this year, before Alnwick District Council’s planning committee could reach a decision. Members will determine the new proposal on Tuesday night and are being urged to grant permission.

Mr Essa was out of the country yesterday, but his agent Nigel Jenkins, who is based near Rothbury, said his client would be delighted if the plans were passed.