Former Abba-inspired Shrewsbury restaurant to become taxi company headquarters

Hush, the Abba-inspired restaurant, opened its blue doors to the public in May last year, but in January the venue said all was said and done with the Abba theme and went quiet on social media.

Now, the independent private hire company is set to move in, after the change in use application was granted by Shropshire Council.

In their application, Shropshire Class Travel Ltd explained that they had been trading for almost six years, and had managed to "thrive and grow the business... despite the more difficult years of Covid".

The proposal said: "We are currently based in a small office in Frankwell but due to the rapid expansion and the employment of more staff, we now require larger premises.

"We started our business in Frankwell and would like to remain here given the relationships we have built with the surrounding businesses and local customers.

"We currently employ 4 office staff, as well as drivers, and we envisage being able to employ more staff as we continue to grow. "

The company - which claims to be Shropshire’s highest-rated private hire company - specialises in long-distance and airport transfers and said they will not be operating a "traditional private hire 'taxi' office".

They explained that their fleet of vehicles already parked behind the premises, so the move would create no issues with on-street parking.

In granting the change of use application, Shropshire Council's planning department said the proposal was "acceptable in principle" and the scheme would "lead to an enhancement of the site in terms of the buildings re-use."