Site finding for cloud, ghost and dark kitchens

We have recently worked with a leading supplier of temporary kitchens to advise on the planning strategy for a roll out of dark kitchens, also known as “cloud”, “ghost”, “virtual” or “remote” kitchens.  These professional kitchens produce restaurant quality food but only for delivery, and with many restaurateurs having seen their takeaway trade boom during the pandemic, looking forward they want to be able to continue their takeaway offer once their restaurant is up and running again.

What to look for when searching for a cloud kitchen site

Ways in which we have supported previous clients on these sorts of projects include: a review of various LPA areas, assessing relevant policy and precedents;  provision of guidance on target locations; using our mapping tools to present useful spatial data to help focus our client’s search.  Once sites are identified, we can provide a planning appraisal, advising on strategy, mitigation and key considerations in seeking planning permission; prepare the necessary planning applications and assist with any enforcement issues relating to existing sites that do not have the correct planning permissions in place.

In our experience popular locations for these types of kitchens have included; car parks, industrial estates, warehouses and converted restaurants. However, each come with their own constraints and planning considerations, such as:

• The use class – it seems there is not yet a standard approach by LPAs in terms of how they classify these types of kitchens.  We have written about this previously (Demystifying planning for dark and cloud kitchens). Given the vagaries it is always worth seeking professional advice and our consultants details are below;
• Ventilation – ideally it should be high quality, discreet and minimise noise and odour;
• Collection – consider the impact of collections on other road and path users;
• Location – consider the distance from residential areas and any associated amenity issues such as hours of operation etc;
• Visual impacts – are you erecting something new or converting something existing?
• Temporary or permanent – we can advise you on the pros and cons of different types of application dependent on your aspirations and the site context and history.

How a planning consultant can help

We can assist you in a number of ways, from assessing potential sites for suitability in planning terms, through to preparing and submitting a suitable application for planning permission.  We are also very experienced in enforcement cases, should the LPA seek to regularise the position on your existing dark kitchen. Contact our team on 01242 501003  to see how we can best help you. We value your privacy and any information which you provide will not be shared outside of our company and will only be used in relation to your enquiry.