Cafe owner: Chain restaurant bid could add to loss of Shrewsbury's individuality

Mike Dalton, who has three independent coffee shops in Shrewsbury, is concerned that a French bistro has applied to take over the former Viyella/Country Casuals shop in The Square.

Plans have been submitted to Shropshire Council by Côte Restaurants. If the scheme goes ahead, the new restaurant will create 20 jobs.

Despite a professional marketing campaign, the only interest in the unit has come from restaurants and now Côte – which has restaurants up and down the country under the Côte Brasserie name – has made a move to come to Shrewsbury.

The restaurant would be open from 8am to midnight on Monday to Saturday and from 8am to 11.30pm on Sundays and bank holidays. It would offer breakfast, lunch and dinner.

But Mr Dalton, who runs the Stop Cafe in the museum and art gallery, as well as branches in the university and at St Julian's Friars, said: "This would be open all day and what really riles me is that there are already chain restaurants nearby including Carluccio's, Patisserie Valerie, Loch Fyne and Starbucks, as well as Ask and Zizzi's.

"There are already so many others within walking distance you have to ask if another is needed. There are a lot of independent cafes and restaurants in Shrewsbury which help to support the local economy. Speaking personally, we use local products and suppliers. Everything we generate goes back in to the town economy.

"The basis of my objection is over provision. Nearby are a number of locally-owned, independent restaurants and cafes that employ local people, source their ingredients locally, employ local tradespeople to kit out and maintain their establishments and, critically, are owned by local people who pay their taxes and spend their profits locally.

"Do we really want an identikit town centre in this beautiful town? A space that is full of exactly the same brand names and an offering the same as every other town in the UK? Another chain restaurant that sources its ingredients from a national distributor, without any reference to the region they are based in, with profits going to a parent company with no local or regional connection?

"Shrewsbury is a small market town, not a city and we have a flourishing independent food scene. The addition of a Côte Brasserie will help no one but their shareholders," he said.

The neighbouring former Job-Centre Plus also has planning permission for a restaurant.