A DOMINO’S pizza takeaway could be coming to Penarth town centre after the company confirmed it as a “future target location”.

Rumours had been circulating around Penarth that either McDonald’s or Domino’s would be interested in taking over the former Blockbuster premises on Windsor Road.

A spokesman for Domino’s Pizza Group PLC said: “We currently have seven stores in Cardiff and Penarth is a future target location for us as we believe it has great potential for pizza.”

He added: “Domino’s has 825 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland and has a goal to increase this number further. We are continually researching and reviewing locations across the country in which to open these new stores.”

It comes after a change of use planning application was made to change the now empty premises from “Class A1 (shops) to Class A3 (hot food takeaway) and for external alterations including the installation of ventilation and extraction equipment”.

Penarth Town Council’s planning committee recommended that the application be refused and warned about the effect that a fast food takeaway would have on traffic, the town centre and surrounding businesses.

The application, submitted by the owners of the former Blockbuster premises, Namulas Pension Trustees Limited, will now go before the Vale Council’s planning committee in the near future.

Councillor Anthony Ernest, a member of the Penarth Town Council planning committee, said that he had received responses from a number of local businesses opposing the application.

“They are concerned about the potential change of use from retail to takeaway,” he said.

“My own view of that is that I believe that takeaways should not be situated on the main streets, instead they should be on the side streets.

“I believe it’s quite inappropriate for hot food, or cold food, to be on the main street.”

Cllr Ernest, who represents the Plymouth ward, added: “Main streets really are for retail shops and everyday products.

“I think the concerns for businesses that are objecting is because of the potential waste being dropped around the area, such as plastic cartons.”

He added that there was also an issue of “smells from a takeaway” and that surrounding “high class businesses with a different clientèle doesn’t sit very well with the takeaway business”.

He added that he was not submitting a planning application, but that he would prefer a “traditional retail businesses” to be based there.

Leader of Penarth Town Council, councillor Michael Cuddy, said that the town council planning committee recommended that the application should be refused due to traffic issues and environmental reasons.

“It is at a very busy road junction,” he said.

“Parking is a big issue on that junction.”

He added that the committee also voiced concerns about environmental issues including smells and litter.

“Our observation was that it should be refused,” he said.