New Cardiff Dessert Shop Serves Umpir Baked Potato 2026

Key points

• Cardiff Council has approved a new dessert shop at 56B Plas‑Mawr Road in Fairwater, Cardiff, described as offering a “unique and distinctive menu” to the local area.
• The unit had been vacant for more than a year; the proposal is intended to bring it back into beneficial use and support local economic activity.
• The building is split into two units, with the other side housing a kebab shop already in operation.
• Both units are owned by Seval Zelal Ltd, the company planning to manage both the dessert shop and the kebab outlet.
• The new shop will operate as a “specialist dessert and drinks venue” with no breakfast, lunch, or savoury‑food service.
• The menu is set to include cakes, pastries, desserts, Turkish delights, traditional sweets, milks, shakes, and a Turkish dish described as “made from a large baked potato”, known as “umpir”.
• The planning documents state the proposal complements nearby cafés and takeaways without creating oversaturation of similar food outlets.
• The proposed hours are from 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week, designed to avoid late‑night trading and protect residential amenity.
• A planning officer’s report concludes that the shop would not have an unreasonable impact on local amenities.

Cardiff (Cardiff Daily) March 31, 2026 – Cardiff Council has approved a new dessert shop for a long‑vacant unit on 56B Plas‑Mawr Road in the Fairwater area of Cardiff, pledging to introduce what planning papers describe as a “unique and distinctive menu offering” to the neighbourhood. Documents filed with the council show the unit has been empty for more than a year and that the proposal aims to bring it back into commercial use while supporting local economic activity and enhancing the street’s vitality.

The building is divided into two units, with the other already occupied by a kebab shop, and both units are owned by Seval Zelal Ltd, the company behind the dessert‑shop application. According to the planning documents, the new venue will function as a “specialist dessert and drinks” outlet, explicitly stating that it will not operate as a breakfast or lunch venue and will not prepare or sell savoury food.

What kind of menu is being planned?

As reported by WalesOnline, the planning application details a dessert‑focused menu that includes

“cakes, pastries, desserts, Turkish delights, traditional sweets, milks, shakes and… umpir, which is a popular Turkish dish made from a large baked potato”.

The listing of “umpir” has drawn attention because of the unusual positioning of a savoury‑style baked‑potato dish within an otherwise sweet‑focused offering, though the papers stress that no savoury main meals will be available.

The council’s officer report notes that the proposal complements existing food and retail businesses in the area, including a neighbouring café and the kebab shop, while avoiding

“an over‑saturation of similar establishments or competing with cafés and takeaways that provide main meals”.

The documents add that the new shop would fill a “niche service” in the street, providing a dessert‑centric option distinct from nearby eateries.

Why is this approval significant for Fairwater?

According to the planning documents, the site at 56B Plas‑Mawr Road is situated in an area already

“characterised by a blend of small independent retailers, food outlets, and local services catering to the nearby residential community”.

The council’s assessment highlights that reactivating a vacant unit of this length helps to “revitalise” the street frontage and maintain the character of the local high street.

The officer’s report further states that the proposal would

“establish a unique dessert‑centric business” in the locality and “complement existing commercial entities” without adversely affecting the mix of uses. It also notes that the presence of the adjoining kebab shop means additional food outlets are already present, but the specific dessert focus is considered to broaden rather than duplicate what is on offer.

How will the shop operate in the community?

The council’s documents outline the proposed operating hours as 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week, with the stated aim of avoiding late‑night trading and protecting residential amenity.

The papers emphasise that the shop would not become a late‑night takeaway or entertainment venue, which has been a concern in other parts of Cardiff where nightlife‑related applications have sparked debate.

In the officer’s assessment, it is stated that the scheme

“would not adversely impact amenities in an unreasonable manner”

and that the anticipated footfall and noise levels are consistent with the existing mixed‑use nature of the street. The report also notes that the change of use from vacant to a dessert shop is not expected to create a significant increase in car‑parking or waste‑management pressure beyond what is already provided for by the neighbouring kebab shop.

What is the owner’s position?

The planning documents identify Seval Zelal Ltd as the company behind both the dessert‑shop application and the existing kebab shop in the adjacent unit. WalesOnline’s coverage explains that the company’s filing describes the proposal as seeking to “bring a long‑vacant unit back into beneficial use”, suggesting that the approval is framed as a regeneration move rather than simply an expansion of the existing food business.

The documents do not include direct quotes from company directors, but the application text on behalf of Seval Zelal Ltd states that the dessert shop “would deliver a unique and distinctive menu to the area” and that the new offering

“would complement existing businesses rather than compete with them”.

The council’s officer report restates this positioning, noting that the proposal

“complements existing food and retail businesses and does not represent an unacceptable change of use”.

How did the council justify granting consent?

Cardiff Council’s planning appraisal underlines several benefits of the scheme, including: reviving a unit that has been “vacant for over a year”, supporting local economic activity, enhancing street‑front activity, and maintaining the street’s existing character. The officer’s report also notes that the proposal

“would not result in an over‑concentration of similar uses”

and that the scale and nature of the operation are in keeping with the local context.

In assessing amenity impact, the council’s assessment states that potential noise and other disturbances associated with the dessert shop are expected to be

“no more than is already experienced from the neighbouring kebab shop and other existing uses”.

The report adds that the operating‑hours band and the absence of outdoor seating or late‑night service further reduce the risk of conflict with nearby residents.

What could this mean for Cardiff’s dessert‑shop scene?

While Cardiff already hosts several dessert‑centric chains and independents in the city centre, the Fairwater proposal marks a move of a specialist dessert concept into a residential neighbourhood high street. WalesOnline’s coverage contrasts this with recent openings such as Ogof, a wine‑and‑dining concept in Canton, and centre‑based chains such as Creams Café and Little Dessert Shop, which focus more on late‑night or family‑oriented dessert‑parlour experiences.

Commenting on the context, WalesOnline notes that the Fairwater dessert‑shop application is “distinct both in its menu and in its operating hours”, describing it as

“more akin to a daytime café‑style dessert venue than a late‑night sundae parlour”.

The article adds that the inclusion of Turkish‑style sweets and the “umpir” baked‑potato dish may help the shop stand out in a market increasingly crowded with dessert‑parlour chains.

What are local residents and traders saying?

WalesOnline reports that several local traders interviewed around Fairwater welcomed the idea of having a dessert shop join the strip, particularly because the unit has lain empty for “over 12 months”.

One nearby shopkeeper, speaking anonymously, told the outlet that “another food outlet on the street is good news” as long as it “doesn’t bring late‑night noise or litter”, and suggested that a dessert‑focused venue trading only until 8 pm would be “less disruptive” than a takeaway.

No formal objections from residents are mentioned in the planning documents, and the council’s report states that “no valid objections” were received that would prevent the approval of the change of use. Still, the officer notes that ongoing monitoring of operating‑hours compliance and any complaints about noise or waste will remain part of the council’s routine oversight.

What happens next for the dessert shop?

Planning consent having been granted, the next steps for Seval Zelal Ltd will involve completing any necessary fit‑out works at 56B Plas‑Mawr Road and securing any additional licences, such as food‑hygiene or alcohol‑service consents, if required.

WalesOnline indicates that the company has not yet announced a firm opening date but that the documents envisage the shop opening as a “specialist dessert and drinks venue” within the 8 am–8 pm trading window.