A CONTROVERSIAL plan to turn a George Lane beauty salon into a take-away has been turned down by Redbridge Council.

Residents and traders had been worried that the bid to transform Hair Funk into a fast food outlet would bring more rowdy behaviour, litter and crime to South Woodford.

Council officers decided the change of useage would be inappropriate, and not in keeping with the authority's goal of keeping the area as primarily a place for shopping.

A council statement said the plans "would result in ...reduced vitality and viability [for George Lane] and therefore [would] contribute to a decline in the attractiveness and function of this area as a shopping centre."