Plans have been submitted to convert a popular Indian restaurant in Newquay into apartments.

A developer proposes to redevelop The Maharajah on Cliff Road into six residential apartments.

The owner of The Maharajah has had the four storey property on the market for the past five years following their retirement in the hope it would continue as a restaurant, but the property has not sold.

A developer has now stepped forward and is due to purchase the building if their planning application is approved.

The scheme involves creating three one bedroom flats, two two bedroom flats and a three bedroom flat.

Cornwall Planning Group, on behalf of the applicant, said: “The proposal seeks consent for the conversion of the existing building to form residential apartments.

“Considering the lack of interest in the building’s sale and the growing interest from potential buyers to convert it into apartments, we kindly request the favourable consideration of the planning authority for this conversion project.

“We believe that development should be regenerative and low impact, with a focus on sustainability and minimizing our environmental footprint.

“Our proposed development plan aims to achieve these goals by incorporating renewable energy sources, reducing waste, and promoting biodiversity. 

“We believe that the details submitted clearly show that the site can be developed in a way that the locality will not be adversely affected, indeed, there is a clear opportunity to provide a high- quality development to meet the needs of present and future generations. 

“There are several comparable application sites that have been approved. We have transparently demonstrated this certainly accords to the Cornwall Local Plan & National Planning Policy Framework. 

“Overall, the proposed development of the site would represent sustainable development and as such, we believe Cornwall Council should support the principle of the proposals contained within this formal planning application.”