Peterborough restaurateur Peter Fierro has announced the sudden closure of The Pizza Parlour in Cowgate – a business he has run for the past 8 years. “Important Notice: The Pizza Parlour is permanently closed,” he posted to the restaurant’s Facebook page today.
“It is with deep sadness that we have made the difficult decision to permanently close The Pizza Parlour Peterborough.
“We’ve had a fantastic run over the last 8 years, welcoming people from near and far to our family-run Italian restaurant.
“We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has made our time here so memorable.”
He signed off with “best wishes, Peter & the team x”
Many customers took the social media to express their disappointment.
Peterborough restaurateur Peter Fierro gets a ‘take away’ order but not for a pizza!
One said: “Very sad to hear this. It’s not always been possible to visit as often as I would have liked. Such a shame as there was always a great atmosphere, pleasant staff and great food. The background music of past decades added ambience.
“This little gem will be missed.”
And another added: “This is such a sad loss for Peterborough all the best Peter to you and your team.”
Last year nearly 600 customers and friends petitioned for him to keep it a canopy above his restaurant but after a lengthy battle the Planning Inspectorate upheld a refusal by Peterborough City Council to allow it.
Mr Fierro had wanted to keep the canopy in place for three years but planning inspector David Reed backed the city council decision ordering its removal from the restaurant at Fortune Buildings, Cowgate, Peterborough.
“The main issue is the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the street scene, including the effect on the Peterborough city centre conservation area,” said the inspector.
He said the canopy “significantly harms the character and appearance of the street scene and fails to preserve the character and appearance of the Peterborough city centre conservation area.”
He agreed that the canopy allows customers to enjoy outdoor seating in all weathers, “still important in the Covid era” and supports the viability of the independently run restaurant and strengthens the vitality and economy of the city centre as a whole.
“However, these benefits would also result from a retractable canopy in compliance with council policy and no explanation is provided as to why a permanent canopy is needed or was erected instead,” he said.
“The benefits of the fixed (as opposed to retractable) canopy are thus minimal and significantly outweighed by the harm that has been identified and the resultant conflict with the development plan and the requirement to at least protect the character and appearance of the conservation area.
“Although the harm to heritage assets is less than substantial, the public benefits of the canopy do not justify its erection and there is no need for a three-year trial period to reach this conclusion.”
