A NEW restaurant could be opening in place of a family newsagent which has been providing its services for more than 30 years.

Planning permission has been granted for Y&S Newsagents in St Helens Road allowing the building’s owners to transform the site into a restaurant.

A statement submitted alongside the application points to falling sales of printed publications and tobacco products, meaning the business is no longer “commercially viable” as a newsagent.

It also highlighted the growth of “national retail operators” which have been set up nearby in recent years.

The building used to be two separate units but was converted into a single shop several years ago, it has since been expanded with a two-storey extension behind the shop.

The planning committee voted in favour of the plans at a meeting on Thursday but changed the permitted opening hours meaning that the restaurant can only open from 10am, rather than 9am as originally proposed.