Tipperary County Council has granted planning permission, subject to six conditions, for the change of use of a protected building on Main Street, Tipperary, from a former restaurant to a takeaway operation to be known as Nico's Takeaway, following an application by Nike Arra.

The Irish Independent reported that the building, formerly occupied by Prime 74 restaurant before its closure in 2022 and previously used as a bank, has been vacant for a number of years.

A council planner raised concerns during the assessment that the proposed use would reduce the building's contribution to the primary retail area, noting that the high-value ground floor space would become a customer waiting area, and requested further information on whether retaining a dine-in option alongside the takeaway was viable.

An agent acting on behalf of the applicant responded that two successive sit-down restaurant ventures at the location had failed and that the overheads associated with a full-scale restaurant in the unit exceed the sustainable market yield for the area, making a traditional restaurant model commercially unviable.

The agent argued that the takeaway use represents the only currently viable business model for the site and that the applicant would invest in the shopfront and internal maintenance, enhancing the visual amenity of the primary retail area and preventing further decline of a prominent town centre building.

The agent also noted that granting permission would help keep the fabric of the protected building intact and protect it from falling into dereliction.

Under the approved plans, Nico's Takeaway will operate from 10am to 10pm, seven days a week.

Read the full story on the Tipperary protected building planning decision.