Nando’s applies to alter former Pizza Hut at Thurmaston Shopping Centre

A Nando’s restaurant could open at Thurmaston Shopping Centre, where Nando’s Chickenland Ltd is seeking permission from Charnwood Borough Council to alter the former Pizza Hut unit. Anyone wishing to comment on the plans has until Tuesday 17 November.

The vacant Unit 13 is on Barkby Thorpe Lane. The council received the application on 14 September 2026.

The plans include an outdoor dining area partly enclosed by eight decorative oak planters and partly covered by a 3.6-metre-high pergola. Planning agent Firstplan said the seating and pergola would “facilitate a vibrant and attractive external dining area”.

The proposed frontage has timber cladding, decorative window vinyl, a timber trough above the entrance and two potted olive trees. Red illuminated signs and a three-metre totem are also planned. Firstplan says the totem would replace a much larger one already on the site.

A side hatch would allow Deliveroo drivers to collect orders at arranged times. Other customers would collect inside. At the rear, plans include an external staircase to the delivery yard, changes to the timber fence and a painted finish for the plant compound.

A fire at the centre on Saturday 20 June led to the closure of M&S, Starbucks and Greggs. The roof of Mountain Warehouse collapsed. M&S confirmed on 16 September that its Thurmaston shop would not reopen, and pointed customers to its stores at Fosse Park, Oadby and Loughborough.

Comments on application P/26/1742/2 can be submitted through the council’s planning portal or emailed to [email protected] by midnight on Tuesday 17 November. For email comments, include the application number, your name and address. Comments published online include names and addresses. The council says some portal users are affected by a technical problem and recommends email in that case.