Developer responds to customers' outcry over demolition plans for Dragon Palace in Christchurch
CUSTOMERS of a Christchurch Chinese restaurant which could be torn down to make way for flats have been assured it will not be happening “imminently”.
Many shared their displeasure online with the news – revealed by the A&T on Tuesday – that the Dragon Palace on Barrack Road will disappear if a proposal to BCP Council by DWP Housing Partnership succeeds.
The disappointment has prompted Steve Wells, the man behind the firm bidding to tear down the eatery, to reassure the public.
“It will continue to trade when permitted after lockdown and we’d encourage everyone to eat there,” he told the A&T. “The [Dragon] Palace is an excellent tenant and, like all restaurants, has had an incredibly difficult year.
“I will be discussing the future of the site with the restaurant’s owners and will ensure that a mutually agreeable solution is found. Nothing will happen imminently,” Mr Wells stressed.
“The proposal we have put forward is for one and two-bedroom flats, which will help address the needs of the less-well-off in the area. Christchurch requires more affordable housing and we have recently completed another scheme nearby in Stour Road.”
The A&T revealed on Tuesday that DWP Housing Partnership has proposed building a trio of three-storey blocks comprising 38 flats at 215-225 Barrack Road as well as 21 parking spaces.
It already has planning permission to develop the majority of the land there with 34 flats – a bid it first submitted more than 10 years ago and can enact regardless of failure with the latest proposal.
The latest plan differs from a previous one as it covers more land – including the Dragon Palace. The restaurant would have to be torn down, and that revelation prompted an outpouring online from people who had been customers.
A design statement by agent Ken Parke Planning said the acquisition of Dragon Palace meant “the opportunity presents to provide a more comprehensive development on both combined pieces of land in order to deliver a more efficient, comprehensive development across available land”.
