Changes planned at new South Shields café bistro as it tries to make Ocean Road a dining destination

South Tyneside Council’s planning department has received an application for the Pickle & Peach at 87 Ocean Road in the town.

The site was previously the Royal China hot food takeaway but plans approved earlier this year (2025) included a change of use to a café bistro.

Applicant D.E.M Properties Ltd, in a previous design and access statement, said the development would “improve the attractiveness of Ocean Road as a dining destination” and “align the business with the café culture that is prevalent in this area, offering both indoor and outdoor dining options.”

New plans from the same applicant are now seeking permission for further changes to the Ocean Road site, namely the “installation of an aluminium louvered roof awning with partial solid wall enclosure […] sliding glass panels to front and side and fixed rear glass panel with glazed door”.

The planning description states the plans aim to “form a weather protected external seating area to [the] existing coffee shop/bistro” and noted the structure would “not extend beyond the site boundary.”

An application form submitted to council officials notes that work has not started and a submitted heritage and design impact statement sets out further details on the plans.

Those behind the development said the proposed structure is “lightweight and recessive in appearance” and would have a “louvred roof that opens to provide natural light and ventilation”.

Applicants said that proposed materials would be “robust, maintainable and sympathetic to contemporary shopfronts” and that the “awning is a bolt-on system with minimal intervention to the host fabric and can be removed in future without lasting harm”.

The heritage and design impact statement adds: “The enclosure provides weather protection for a modest number of covers.

“There is no external plant; the louvre drive is a small intermittent electric motor, no amplified music is proposed in the enclosure [and] the arrangement does not affect neighbouring privacy or outlook.

“The proposal does not encroach onto the public highway or alter pedestrian access, refuse storage remains within the site boundary [and] there is no impact on parking or deliveries.

“Integrated gutters direct roof water to the existing rainwater downpipe [and] opening louvres reduce reliance on mechanical ventilation and maintain a comfortable microclimate.

“By virtue of its modest scale, high-quality contemporary materials, transparency and reversible construction, the proposal preserves the character and appearance of the area and results in no unacceptable amenity, heritage or highways impacts.”

A decision on the planning application is expected following a council consultation exercise.

For more information on the plan, or to track its progress, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 250661

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