Permission to turn a vacant shop unit into a chicken shop has been refused by Watford Borough Council.

The change of use for the former Zeynep Food Centre was proposed in October 2023 and the council ultimately deemed using the space for a chicken shop is considered acceptable in the context of the area and the hours of use proposed, but the process got stuck on the flue design.

As well as changing the unit’s use, the applicant also wanted permission to install a necessary kitchen extract flue to capture flumes and odours and expel them high-up outdoors.

Watford Observer: The vacant unit in 2021.The vacant unit in 2021. (Image: Google Street View)

However, according to the council it did not provide any drawings or diagrams showing the exact flume design.

This sparked “concern” that its height might be “too excessive” and officers requested a detailed diagram on January 8 but apparently did not receive it.

Therefore, on Thursday March 14, Watford Borough Council rejected the application and said not enough information had been submitted for it to assess the suitability of the proposed flue “to ensure that it will not give rise to unacceptable impacts to adjacent residential occupiers”.