FORMER England and Gloucester Rugby star Phil Vickery has been given the go-ahead to expand his No.3 restaurant in Cheltenham.

His plans for a single storey addition and internal alterations to the ground and lower floors of numbers 12 and 13 Royal Crescent were approved by Cheltenham Borough Council last week.

Mr Vickery, who won the 2011 BBC TV Celebrity MasterChef title, wants to extend the current kitchen and dining area as well as make use of the vacant lower ground floor for additional seating and a baked goods takeaway.

Council officers said the applicant had addressed their concerns and submitted revised plans in order to protect the significance of the grade II* listed buildings and recommended approving the scheme.

The restaurant is proving to be very popular and is continuously growing according to the planning documents submitted to support the scheme.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic, the restaurant adapted to outdoor dining by installing a hospitality tent to the rear which has been a popular destination for diners,” the design and access statement reads.

“The restaurant is owned by a high-profile celebrity chef Phil Vickery which itself attracts local Cheltonians and those from further afield; creating the opportunity for recreation which is a clear public benefit.”

Consultants working on the scheme said if the business was not allowed to expand it would have likely been left with little option than to move and find a larger site to support its growth.

They said the alterations to the listed building, when compared with the many public benefits, and specifically securing the optimum viable use of the building, are, on balance, acceptable.

The planning committee agreed with the advice from council officers and approved the proposals with conditions.