Richard House Children’s Hospice ceased operations last year, reports Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter
A former charity shop in Dagenham looks set to be turned into a restaurant.
A company called Hot Food To Go Ltd wants to change the use of the former Richard House Children’s Hospice shop at 5 Station Parade in Heathway.
It comes after the East London charity ceased operations late last year.
Hot Food To Go asked Barking and Dagenham Council to “confirm that the change of use from a retail shop to a restaurant is lawful and does not require express planning permission”.
Richard House, based in Beckton, had previously provided care and respite to some 300 children with life-limiting conditions and their families.
As a charity, it relied on donations and income from second-hand shops – such as the one at Station Parade – to supplement its NHS funding.
But the hospice closed on 17th December 2025 due to “significant financial challenges”.
Plans to convert the shop into a restaurant were recently submitted to the council. The applicant asked the council to confirm that the conversion is lawful, and therefore doesn’t need planning permission. This is because it says restaurants and shops fall into the same use classification in planning law.
The application doesn’t say what type of restaurant the company wants to open there. However, the proposed use indicates it won’t be a takeaway.
The application is to use the shop for the “sale of food and drink for consumption (mostly) on the premises”.
Council planning officers confirmed that the conversion would be lawful in a decision made on Monday, 23rd February.
