Plans lodged for Italian restaurant La Piazza in Yarm

Richmond restaurant La Piazza, known for serving up “excellent quality” food, is set to expand into the former Barclays Bank on Yarm High Street. 

The unit has been closed since the national bank pulled out of the town in July last year, with the hole left by the former cash machine swiftly bricked up and signs taken down. 

Last year, La Piazza bosses confirmed it was in the “very early stages” of opening a new location in Yarm, pending several applications.

How the former bank looks now (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

A premises license has since been secured, with opening hours of 10am until 10pm from Monday to Sunday, and new plans have been lodged to transform the shopfront. 

The application seeks permission for a new shop front, resurfacing of the car park and the addition of an extraction flue for the kitchen. 

The windows and doors of the shop front would be timber framed with double glazing, with a colour yet to be agreed by bosses. 

La Piazza, in Richmond (Image: GOOGLE)

The car park is set to be resurfaced from gravel to tarmac following requests from residents during the consultation process. 

Drawings for the proposals show La Piazza would be written across the top of the venue’s storefront, with ‘Italian Restaurant’ also written to the right, above the larger windows. 

Based on Dundas Street in Richmond, La Piazza serves pizza, pasta, risottos, and other dishes and was taken over by new owners in 2015. 

The former Barclays Bank in Yarm (Image: GOOGLE)

It is regularly praised online for its “amazing” food and “flawless” service, with a 4.5 star rating on Google Reviews. 

One person said: “One of the best meals we’ve had in a long time. There were 11 of us and every meal was excellent. 

“Service was great, food was piping hot, food arrived in good time. Price was very competitive too. Those of us who had pizzas said it was the best base they’d ever had. 

“We would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Richmond.”

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The design and access statement on the application notes: “We conclude there would be no effect on the significance of the building or on the impact of the Yarm Conservation Area. 

“The proposal would not give rise to any adverse impacts in respect of the character and appearance of the area.”

Stockton Council is yet to make a decision on the application.