Site is not so convenient for new town cafe
THERE has been a mixed reaction in Beeston over plans for a former public toilets and a boutique to be turned into a cafe.
An abandoned building at 280 Queens Road which hasn’t been used for years could become an independent coffee shop.
If it gets the green light the coffee shop would have customer seating and tables.
But with houses along that road, some people are concerned for those who live close by.
Jennifer Smith, 61, a receptionist from Beeston, said a new, independent cafe could be good for the area.
“Well, we’ve got a Greggs and the other takeaways – and they seem to be used,” she said. “It’s independent and I think it would be good for people to set up there.”
Plans have been submitted to Broxtowe Borough Council for the empty property at the junction of Queens Road and Station Road. Councillors will decide if it can go ahead.
Mark Turner, 58, a carpenter from Nottingham, said: “I think a cafe for the area would be good but I don’t think this location’s a good idea. They won’t be able to have outdoor seating because it would all just be in the way of the pavement and I wouldn’t want to live in one of those houses with it being so close to the cafe but, then again, it’s a cafe, I doubt they’ll be that much noise.”
It’s several years since the toilets closed and more recently the building was transformed into a beauty salon.
Margaret Locci, 71, of Beeston and retired, said she was unsure about plans for a cafe on Queens Road specifically, adding: “Well, I don’t know – it’s all coffee bars and charity shops, which I don’t mind to an extent but no more. I don’t think Beeston is up and coming – all the shops are dying out.”
Geraldine White, 70, from Stapleford and retired, said: “I’m not disagreeing with a new cafe in the area but you must admit, it’s a bit of an odd place for it but maybe it will work, we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t think Beeston is an up and coming area. The trams ruined it. People can just get on a tram to town now and that leaves local businesses around here struggling.”