Popular Southend Turkish restaurant to be transformed into new flats

A popular Chalkwell restaurant is set to be turned into flats after Southend Council gave the go ahead. Baboush Turkish restaurant in The Ridgeway Chalkwell which occupies the ground and first floor of a three storey mixed use building will be redeveloped with three new flats.

Each of the flats are set to get a balcony to the front alongside an existing flat and a new ground floor retail space. A single storey front extension will form a bin and cycle store.

This element was welcomed by Nigel Foulkard, Conservative councillor for Chalkwell ward who said bins being stored on a pathway to the rear of the building had been the subject of many residents’ complaints. Speaking at a development control meeting on Wednesday, Mr Foulkard said: ”Since Baboush has been operational the residents have complained over a number of years.

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“We’ve had officers from the council down there trying to sort this out. If you can assure me that refuse will not be on the public footpath and contained within the curtilage of the building then that’s okay.”

The council received four objections to the development, including one concerned about the bin storage being at the front of the building. Other issues raised were loss of the restaurant that could set a precedent for other shops in the parade and lack of parking. However, the committee voted unanimously in favour of the scheme.