A BUSINESSMAN is “brewing up” plans to turn a payday loan store into a stylish cafe in Bolton town centre.

Waris Ullah owns the freehold for a unit in Newport Street which until recently housed a Cash Store loans shop.

He said he wants to bring something new to the key thoroughfare — which is undergoing a £3 million council revamp.

The 50-year-old father of five said: “Over this side of the town centre there are not many places to sit and have a coffee or a piece of cake.”

“We want to make something fresh, bright and colourful that will look attractive to people.”

The businessman, of Derby Street, owns other sites in North Wales, but said he wanted to do something in his home town and is excited about the new transport interchange in Great Moor Street.

He said: “I think that is a very good project and will hopefully bring people into the town centre.

“Town centres used to be the heart of people’s lives and I still think the council needs to do more to encourage businesses to set up here.

“The recent Food and Drink Festival was amazing, you could hardly move in the town centre — and I think more can be done.”

Bolton Council has previously said it wants to see more quality and independent businesses set up in the town centre and fewer pound shops, betting shops and payday loan businesses.

Mr Ullah has submitted the plans for his coffee shop to the council’s planning department, which will look at them more closely.

He said if they are given the green light, he will look at the possibility of creating an outdoor seating area at the shop.

He also plans to make the business a family operation, bringing in three of his five children to help out.

If the plans are rubber stamped, Mr Ullah said the shop was likely to open for about a year because of the significant amount of work needed on the premises.

The council has begun the main scheme of work to revitalise Newport Street — which will include each of the shops in the street being given a “uniform” frontage, with roller shutters, new trees to be planted, new street furniture and repaving work.

Mr Ullah said he was not very impressed with the look of the new shop fronts, adding: “I have seen the example and I did think they would come up with something a bit better than that.”