PLANS for a new takeaway at a former Maldon salon have been thrown out after fears it would cause "unacceptable harm."

A small independent takeaway business, The Lasagna Lab, planned to convert the former Glow Tanning and Aesthetics salon on the town's High Street into a takeaway.

Bosses at the Italian food business said the plans would bring an empty shop back into use, "supporting the vitality and economic health of Maldon Town Centre."

The plans included external changes, including the installation of extraction and ventilation equipment, and an external flue.

The plans state that the proposal "will not undermine the vitality or viability of the town centre and will not create a harmful concentration of non-active frontage."

The documents also state the development "has been carefully considered in respect of heritage, amenity, and highway impacts, and appropriate mitigation measures are proposed, as set out in the management plan and noise and odour impact assessments."

The plans for the site show a waiting area, a kitchen, an office, and a storage area.

The proposed operating hours were noon to 8pm, Wednesday to Monday, with the business being closed on Tuesdays. The plans state the hours are "modest and avoid late evening trading."

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Maldon District Council refused the plans. The decision states the proposed change of use, extraction and ventilation system "by reason of its siting and proximity to a neighbour's bathroom would result in an unneighbourly form of development and unacceptable harm to neighbouring property arising from noise, odour and disturbance."