A SHOP owner has vowed his new takeaway will be selling “high quality food” amid fears a town has “reached saturation point”.

Gurbachan Sandhu has lodged plans to open up an outlet on Cumbernauld Road in Thornaby, near Stockton, to join onto the existing off-licence on the stretch.

But Cllr Luke Frost, ward member for Mandale and Victoria, worries there are “far too many takeaways opening up” and has urged planners to turn down the proposals.

In a letter to Stockton Council, the independent councillor added: “There is much need for the store but not a takeaway. The property is also in a residential area with properties directly above the applicant’s store. It is my opinion that we have reached a saturation point when it comes to takeaways in Thornaby."

However, Mr Sandhu said £50,000 had been spent on renovating the existing shop and insisted he’d wanted it to be “viable for the long term”.

He added: “This business has changed hands three times in the past ten or 12 years. There were people buying this business and moving on but it needed investment. When we built the business we assessed that it needed work and additional trade as well. We asked people what they would like to have here and we are trying to make the business stronger and more viable.”

Worries about the spread of hot food takeaways have been sounded before. Stockton councillors called for tighter regulations last year citing misgivings over health, litter and “a lack of choice”.

The Northern Echo: Cllr Luke John Frost, ward member for Mandale and Victoria, Thornaby Independent Association Picture: STOCKTON COUNCILCllr Luke John Frost, ward member for Mandale and Victoria, Thornaby Independent Association Picture: STOCKTON COUNCIL

And last week a naan bread bakery was refused permission to open up in Middlesbrough over concerns the stretch on Victoria Road had “reached its limit”.

But Mr Sandhu said he was shocked by Cllr Frost’s comments, adding the takeaway would source ingredients locally and would focus on high quality food.

He added: “The first thing we want to have a quality food business – we don’t want to just service pizza and fatty food, we want something new and different.

“We are working on that and what our menu will be – what we want to focus on the type of ingredients we’ll have. It’s something I take very seriously and we do not want something that plagues the health of our community.”

The business owner took over the shop in September last year. Two full time jobs and five part time jobs are in the pipeline if the takeaway gets the green light.