Swindon Borough Council's planning department are considering a number of schemes submitted by businesses and residents in April.

Here's our regular round-up of the pick of the bunch.

TOWN CENTRE: A gaming and amusement arcade could see its slot machines removed and tables and chairs installed. Azad Hassan has applied for the change of use of 7 Market Street, opposite the disused tented market.

He wants to use the front of the building as a small seating area for customers, with an ordering counter and kitchen towards the rear. To that end a flue would be installed to take cooking smells high away from neighbouring businesses and houses.

Mr Hassan’s application says: “Our proposal is to convert the shop into a food establishment, providing a welcoming and comfortable sitting space for customers to enjoy freshly prepared meals and quick bites.

“This change of use will not only benefit the local community by providing a traditional food option in the area, but also contribute to the revitalization of Market St by bringing in foot traffic and attracting more customers to the surrounding businesses.

PARK NORTH:  Queens Drive Polish Roman Catholic Church, which has its entrance facing Whitworth Avenue has been given partly retrospective permission to continue with putting up new railings and gates.

The church has started repairing the low wall at its boundary and will continue with putting up steel railings on top of the existing wall, with sliding steel gates at the vehicle entrances.

RODBOURNE: The rest of the downstairs of the house at 4 Raybrook Crescent could be converted into a take-away food outlet. While the kitchen is already used for the preparation of take-away food on a commercial basis, Kadoshi Sushi has applied to be able to use the rest of the ground floor for the business.

BRIDGEMEAD: The Kia car showroom and sales business run by Fish Brothers in Bridgemead Industrial Estate has been given the green light to put up new illuminated signage and totems.

EXTENSIONS: Applications have been submitted to be able to build extensions to homes or build outbuildings or to convert garages and lofts into accommodation at: 1 Tall Conifers, Wroughton; 121 Sandringham Road, Lawn; 194 Meadowcroft, Stratton St Margaret; 24 Shipley Drive, Abbey Meads; 46 Sunnyside Avenue, Kingshill; 45 Haydon View Road, Pinehurst.

Such applications have been approved for: 8 Anglesey Close, Westlea; Maison Rouge, 619 A Cricklade Road, Penhill; 21 Sandown Avenue, Lakeside; 66 Bolingbroke Road, Moredon; 10 Winchester Close, Stratton St Margaret; 39 Station Road, Chiseldon; 41 Marlborough Road, Lawn; 16 Bolingbroke Road, Moredon; 21 Maskeleyne Way, Wroughton and 238 Queens Drive.

Design considerations lie behind the refusal by planners to give consent to Mr Asif Arabbani to put a first-floor rear extension on to 53 Belle Vue Road in Old Town.

The planning report said: “The proposed two-storey rear extensions at the application site’s dwelling would form a large two-storey rear structure with flat roof that would be unsympathetic to the pitched roof form of its host property.

“This would result in poorly designed householder development that does not respect the established character of the roof-scape and extensions to the rear of properties along Belle Vue Road.”

An application for a certificate of lawful development was refused to Stanley Vas who wants to build a single-storey rear extension onto 3 Malvern Road.

The rules for permitted development say a certificate can not be issued if the extension extends by further than three metres from the rear of the original house, and Mr Vas’ proposal extends by 50 centimetres more than that distance.