New Peterborough city centre burger bar planning move into former Post Office building

A new lease has been granted for 28-30 Cowgate over the summer and following this, a planning application has been submitted for a restaurant named Zali’s Brgr Bar.

This would be be the building’s first permanent occupier in over ten years after the Post Office closed at the location in 2016. the Post Office then made the move inside the former WH Smith store on Bridge Street.

In recent years, the prominently-located building has remained closed although it was given a lick of paint in January 2025 when street artist Nathan Murdoch created a temporary and comic mural of two cows on boards outside of the building.

The building sits across three floors and offers a total of 3,186 square feet of space, provides a self-contained lock up shop.

Plans for new shop frontage, lighting and the provision of a commercial kitchen have been submitted at this stage ahead of the planned establishment of Zali’s Brgr Bar.

There is currently a Zali’s Brgr Bar located at the triangle of Lincoln Road and Bourges Boulevard; serving smash burgers, loaded fries and milkshakes.

The planning application states: “The impact of the proposed shopfront works is beneficial. The existing shopfront composition is retained, and the works refresh the building in a way that is consistent with its commercial character. The proposal does not remove the pilasters, console brackets, stall risers or fascia structure. It therefore avoids the type of harm that often arises from over-scaled, standardised or visually intrusive shopfront alterations.

"The proposal represents a sensitive and proportionate set of works to an existing city centre commercial building.

"The scheme supports the continued active use of a city centre building and would

improve the presentation of the commercial frontage. It preserves the significance of the locally listed building, preserves the character and appearance of the Peterborough City Centre Conservation Area, and does not cause harm to the setting of nearby listed buildings.

The application can be viewed on Peterborough City Council’s planning portal using reference 26/002820/FUL.