TRAFFORD Council approved plans for a new takeaway in Urmston this week despite the concerns of the neighbouring businesses.

An application was submitted to the council in February to transform the site of a former bank in the town centre on Flixton Road.

It does not mention the type of takeaway intended.

The site between Malcolm's Pharmacy and Astoria was a branch of Halifax, but this closed permanently around 18 months ago.

Trafford Council approved the application despite receiving several letters in opposition, including from the businesses on either side.

In a letter to the council, the owner of Malcolm's Pharmacy said: "As a busy community pharmacy with an ideology of improving the health of the population of Urmston and the surrounding suburbs through our vast array of NHS and private healthcare services, having a takeaway next door is something that doesn't complement our offering."

"For this reason, an objection to the plans is made."

The owner expressed other concerns like littering.

READ MORE: Timperley takeaway plan approved despite strong opposition.

On the other side of the site, the owner of Astoria expressed concerns about the takeaway's opening hours.

The application proposed opening hours of 10am-1am on weekdays and 10am-3am on weekends, including Sunday.

In his letter, he said: "We oppose this planning application and more specifically the proposed hours of operation.

"We're under strict instructions to alleviate loitering on the street.

"This will put further pressure on services as it'll only serve to encourage my customers and other customers to gather on Flixton Road."

He also pointed out to the council that the opening hours of existing takeaways in Urmston do not exceed his own.

The council acknowledged these concerns, but opted to address them by approving the application with conditions, rather than by refusing it completely.

These conditions include changing the proposed opening hours to 8am-12.30am from Sunday to Wednesday and 8am-1.30am from Thursday to Saturday.

The takeaway will need to submit another application to the council if it intends to add signage to the site, as this is not included in the original application.