A Blaenau Ffestiniog shop and tourist information hub which was forced to adapt during the pandemic is seeking permission to develop a cafe.

Gwynedd Council has received a full application to consider proposals at the Siop Antur Stiniog, based at the Craft Units, property on High Street.

The application by Helen McAteer of Antur Stiniog Cyf seeks permission for a change of use of two units.

They already house the shop, ancillary coffee house, tourist information centre and office space.

The change, the plans say, could double the number of jobs from one full-time role to two, and four part-time positions to six.

Roles such as waiting on, preparing food  and kitchen work could be created.

The applicant’s proposals reads: “We want to extend the coffee house throughout the two units whilst keeping elements of the shop.

“We would also like to be able to install a fully equipped kitchen upstairs in unit two in the future.

“We would like to change the use from a shop to a cafe.”

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Hours of opening, if the proposal does go ahead, are not yet known.

Gwynedd planning manager Keira Sweenie explained to the applicant in a letter within the planning documents.

“…it is possible to have a small ancillary coffee shop comprising of a couple of tables without the need for planning permission, which it is presumed what you have been operating until recently.

“It appears that the coffee house is becoming the main focal point of the business and property, as such this would require planning permission for the use.”

The applicant is seeking an  ‘A3’ permission to sell food and drink on the premises.

Helen McAteer explained the  aims and objectives of the business, which she said was run as a social enterprise.

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She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We  initially opened as a shop and tourist information centre back in 2014 but it  wasn’t sustainable so we later opened a small, ancillary coffee shop, which we didn’t need planning permission for.

“When Covid hit we had to  reorganise, spread everything out and separate the tables, we changed our layout with the shop partly upstairs.

“After we had adapted the ancillary coffee shop area, locals and visitors had said how much they liked it, things were not so mis-mashed with better defined areas, as such we  increased trade.

“We have a lot more local people popping in,  and they have supported us all through the years and that is really why we have done this.

“We get a lot more inquiries asking about the food we can serve, from locals and visitors.

“If we were to get the planning permission through, we’d be able to offer more substantial meals, not just coffee and cake – although we are not looking to compete with existing businesses,  we want to compliment what is available in the area.

“If it goes ahead we will need more waiting on staff and people making the food in the kitchen.

“It is one of our aims and objectives, we are run by a social enterprise, to provide jobs for within the local community, sustainable jobs”.

The council’s planning committee will consider the plans which were received on September 8, 2022.