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Pizza Hut withdraws North Camp takeaway bid

By Tim Harris
January 09, 2013

RESIDENTS in Farnborough’s North Camp village have been spared the arrival of an unwanted Pizza Hut after plans for a takeaway outlet collapsed.

Just months after an initial bid for Pizza Hut to move to North Camp was withdrawn, a second attempt to introduce the fast food chain has met with the same end.

Imani Foods withdrew an application entered in May to open a Pizza Hut in Camp Road, which would also have operated as a delivery service.

It was a proposal to which many North Camp residents objected.

But six months on, an amended application was put in for the takeaway.

However, between the November application and the Rushmoor Borough Council planning meeting in early January that would have decided its fate, the plan was once again withdrawn.

David Stevens, planning officer for the council, said it was believed the reason for this was because the owners of the premises had let the property to someone else, ending any chance of a North Camp Pizza Hut in the immediate future.

There are already around 20 takeaways in the village, including a number of pizza outlets, and North Camp residents spoke out against both applications for another.

Alyson Fitzgerald, of Lynchford Road, had said: “I don't think we need another takeaway place to be honest.

“There are lots of takeaways already – there are enough.

“North Camp has always been described as a little, homely place and a nice village, so we just do not need any more takeaways."

Concerns had also been expressed about the hours the Pizza Hut would have been allowed to stay open until. Initial plans were for the takeaway to remain open until 3am on Friday and Saturday, although this was then sliced to 1am in the amended application.

Mike Palmer, chairman of the North Camp Matters Community Association, admitted he had mixed views about the Pizza Hut bid.

“I think a lot of people will be rather relieved,” he said.

"People will be relieved there will not be another takeaway. There are already takeaways and pizza places in North Camp.

“But we do want to encourage businesses to come to North Camp.

“We do need more new businesses in North Camp. If we cannot keep the business alive the area will decline."

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