A RESTAURANT which lost its licence to operate after staff were found living in squalor upstairs is earmarked for demolition to make way for houses.

Oak Tree Developments has put forward plans to bulldoze the India Gate restaurant in Westhoughton and build four houses on the land, with the car park transformed into a lawned area with a pond.

The Chorley Road restaurant is currently 'vacant' and neighbours have been informed about the plans so they can have their say.

Twelve parking spaces are proposed under the development.

Plans for India Gate

Plans for India Gate

Oak Tree Developments were behind the Pennine Mews development in Westhoughton which has nine three bedroom homes.

India Gate restaurant,which received good reviews from customers, lost its licence in September despite pleas to Bolton Council's licensing chiefs not to revoke it.

Licensing chiefs said they had ‘no confidence’ in those running the India Gate Chorley Road, Westhoughton.

The restaurant was raided by immigration officers and Bolton Council in November 2018 following a tip off a number of foreign nationals were working illegally.

Two men were arrested for working in breach of their visa conditions and overstaying their visa.

The local authority discovered evidence of at least five people living in unsafe conditions in upstairs bedrooms, which had inadequate fire safety measures, were in disrepair and bedrooms padlocked from the outside.

India Gate

India Gate

Among those living there was one of the men arrested for immigration offences.

The restaurant was issued a £10,000 fine because the detained men had no permission to work in the UK.

Owner and director Heron Ali and business partner, company secretary Nazmul Hussain, their company Chan Restaurant Ltd were then hauled before court for having illegal accommodation.

Fines issued at the hearing in November last year amounted to more than £10,000.

Subsequently the Home Office petitioned for a licensing review into the premises.

The plans put forward will now be discussed by Bolton's planning chiefs.