A new restaurant with a wine and cocktail bar is set to open on Chesham High Street if a new planning application is approved.

The former HSBC at number 17 will be transformed into ‘Vault 17’, a trendy new eatery with an outdoor kitchen.

The forthcoming venue has already been granted permission by Buckinghamshire Council to open and serve alcohol between 10am and 11pm seven days a week.

But the company behind the new venture, Clocktower Hospitality – run by Alex Morgan – has now submitted a new planning application for the site.

The applicant is seeking permission from the council to install a hatched shipping container housing a kitchen unit within the rear courtyard, which has most recently been used for car parking.

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The kitchen will serve dozens of al fresco diners at outdoor tables in a new garden area, which transform the existing courtyard.

The new garden will benefit from shrubs and timber fencing that will support climbing plants to provide privacy in the outdoor area.

The interior of the former HSBC will be fully refurbished to create Vault 17, which will boast a demountable stage area.

Plans for the inside of the proposed restaurant show a cellar, a bar with stools, toilet facilities and upholstered seating booths and.

As well as booze being sold for consumption on the premises, bottles of wine and spirits will also be available for customers to take away.

A planning statement submitted in the application for the shipping container kitchen says that the unit will measure 6.1m long, 3.05m deep and 2.6m high.

It reads: “The existing courtyard is fully hardstanding in nature so there will be no loss of ecological features or habitats, the shipping container is proposed to be placed towards the southern boundary wall with no. 15.

“This wall is varied in height and where the shipping container can be seen over this wall timber screening will be installed to protect the views in and out of the site and ensure it cannot be seen from East Street to the rear of the site.

“As the development works are restricted to the rear enclosed courtyard the impact to the wider conservation area and heritage assets is minimal.

“The proposal does not alter the appearance of the building in any material way and the use would be of a nature which is also present in the immediate and wider area.

“It is therefore considered that the proposal will not impact on the character of the conservation area.”

Clocktower Hospitality, which states that it specialises in restaurants, pubs and bars, was set up in October 2023, according to Companies House.

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