A Blaenau Ffestiniog-based social enterprise forced to adapt during the pandemic is seeking permission to develop a cafe.

Gwynedd Council has received a full application to consider proposals at the Siop Antur Stiniog shop, which operates as a shop and a tourist information hub from its base on High Street.

The application by Helen McAteer of Antur Stiniog Cyf seeks permission for a change of use of two units.

They already house the shop, ancillary coffee house, tourist information centre and office space. The change, the plans say, could double the number of jobs from one full-time role to two, and four part-time positions to six. Roles such as waiting on, preparing food and kitchen work could be created.

The application reads: “We want to extend the coffee house throughout the two units whilst keeping elements of the shop.

“We would also like to be able to install a fully equipped kitchen upstairs in unit two in the future.

“We would like to change the use from a shop to a cafe.”

The hours of opening, if the proposal does go ahead, are not yet known.

Gwynedd planning manager Keira Sweenie wrote a letter to the applicant explaining that “it is possible to have a small ancillary coffee shop comprising of a couple of tables without the need for planning permission, which it is presumed what you have been operating until recently. It appears that the coffee house is becoming the main focal point of the business and property, as such this would require planning permission for the use.”

The applicant is seeking an A3 permission to sell food and drink on the premises.

Helen, from Antur Stiniog Cyf said: “We initially opened as a shop and tourist information centre back in 2014 but it wasn’t sustainable so we later opened a small, ancillary coffee shop, which we didn’t need planning permission for.

“When Covid hit we had to reorganise, spread everything out and separate the tables, we changed our layout with the shop partly upstairs.

“After we had adapted the ancillary coffee shop area, locals and visitors had said how much they liked it. Things were not so mish-mashed with better defined areas. As such we increased trade.

“We have a lot more local people popping in, and they have supported us all through the years and that is really why we have done this.

“We get a lot more inquiries asking about the food we can serve, from locals and visitors.

“If we were to get the planning permission through, we’d be able to offer more substantial meals, not just coffee and cake – although we are not looking to compete with existing businesses, we want to compliment what is available in the area.

“If it goes ahead we will need more waiting on staff and people making the food in the kitchen.

“It is one of our aims and objectives, we are run by a social enterprise, to provide jobs for within the local community, sustainable jobs”.

The council’s planning committee will now consider the plans.