DANIEL Nechita is looking to open a coffee shop in a former menswear shop in the centre of Knutsford.

Mr Nechita wants to open the Neki Café at 19 King Street, a grade two listed 18th century building.

The café would employ three to four full-time and four to five part-time staff, and open from 8am to 6pm during the summer and between 8am and 5pm in the winter months.

Planning approval for a change of use and listed building consent are being sought from Cheshire East Council.

A report accompanying the application said Mr Nechita had a BA in business administration and economics, and had been working in the café and hospitality industry for six years, running cafes in Heaton Moor, central Manchester, Bramhall and Hale.

The report said the café would contribute to the vitality and viability of the town centre, help attract extra spending in the area, as well as in the local food suppliers, as the café would use local suppliers to promote local production and offer customers high quality and fine food and drinks.

Knutsford Guardian:

The former Furor menswear shop

“The use of the property as a café requires minimal cosmetic alterations, and no structural alterations are required,” said the report.

“However in the future the owner of the business would like to extend the menu, and some light cooking on site would be required rather than just food preparation and heating.

“The kitchen would therefore require a canopy hood, and if deemed necessary air conditioning will also be installed, with the extractor unit at the rear of the property.

“No alterations are proposed to the front of the property, and therefore [there would be] no impact on the street frontage.”

The property was previously occupied by Furor, a men’s clothes shop, and historically was used as a speciality glass shop and retail.

The building used to be a pair of three-storey brick houses, which were later converted into two shops with offices above, and the scheme only refers to the shop on the ground floor at 19 King Street.

People can comment on the café plans, reference 19/4297, until October 17 at the planning portal on the Cheshire East Council website.