Lounge café bar could open at 1-5 High Street in Haverhill after licensing application submitted

A national eatery chain could open a branch in a Suffolk town centre.

Loungers UK Limited has submitted a premises licence application for a Lounge at 1-5 High Street, Haverhill.

The application to West Suffolk Council is for a food-led café bar at the premises, which includes the former Argos.

The licence sought is for alcohol sales off and on premises Monday to Sunday, 10am to midnight, and late refreshment (in/outdoors) Monday to Sunday, 11pm to 12.30am.

As of January, Loungers operates 282 sites in England and Wales across three brands, Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside.

In Suffolk it has Edmundo in Bury St Edmunds, Potro in Newmarket and Prado in Sudbury.

It would be a boost to Haverhill’s town centre which has seen a number of recent shop closures.

The WHSmith store in High Street is also set to welcome customers for the last time on Saturday, April 26.

Last month, an architect and businessman said he believed some ‘radical’ thinking was required to save Haverhill High Street from emptying out.

Phil Jordan feels online shopping has taken over so much now that a different high street model is needed.

The experienced architect, who works on projects in the UK and abroad, made his suggestion in the wake of Nick Rutter, owner of Nicom IT Service in High Street, tabling the idea of forming a Haverhill Retail Group to rejuvenate the retail centre.