A FORMER Pizza Hut is to be converted into a bar and restaurant after planning permission was approved.

The empty unit on the corner of Southchurch Road and Chichester Road, Southend, was vacated by Pizza Hut in February, after some three decades, following a review.

It will now be converted into a bar and restaurant after a planning application to change the unit’s use by AJ Enterprise was submitted in July.

The application was initially knocked back due to the lack of an acoustics report but has now been approved by officers.

The company’s agents New World Designers of London Road, Westcliff, said the applicant was a local man and “fully intended to go ahead with the plans.”

Milton councillor Julian Ware-Lane said he was pleased the unit was coming back into use.

He said: “Being placed on the junction of two main roads not far from the High Street, an empty premises in the heart of the town is not a good thing, and any new business opening here is a good thing.

“Admittedly, there aren’t a shortage of bars in the area, and whether there’s a market for another I don’t know, but that’s a business decision that will be xxx in the fullness of time.”

The new business would create four full-time and two part-time jobs, opening between 11am and 11pm Monday to Thursday, 11am and midnight Friday to Saturday, and noon and 10.30pm on Sunday.

In February, Pizza Hut entertained the idea of returning to Southend, possibly as part of the proposed Marine Plaza or Seaway car park developments which are set to change the face of the seafront.

A spokesman said: “The team are aware of the proposed developments and will continue to track their progress, potentially returning at some point.

"We continually evaluate the location of our restaurants to ensure they are in the best possible areas to meet consumer demand and have decided to close our restaurant in Southend.

“We still have a strong presence in the area and are confident our customers will continue to visit us.”