The former Little Chef restaurant on the A14 bypass in Ipswich is set to get a new lease of life as a training and conference space, if proposals are approved by planners.

The building had historically been occupied by Little Chef, but had operated as the Orwell Restauarant before its closure in April 2013.

Now Shell UK, which runs the petrol station already at the site, has submitted a planning application to change the space from restaurant to training centre.

The application said: “It is anticipated that training courses will be held at the property approximately five days per quarter. Attendees will be encouraged to share vehicles to drive to the training centre and will be able to park in a dedicated parking area adjoining the training centre without interfering with the services provided at the adjoining petrol filling station.”

It is understood the building’s close access to the A14 and existing petrol station made it an attractive proposition for Shell UK.

A spokesman for the company said: “Shell is developing 14 training centres, retail learning academies, across the UK as part of its commitment to delivering great service to its customers every day.

“The training centres being developed in vacant areas in and around Shell services stations will support Shell’s independent retailer and dealer businesses, which employ more than 10,000 customer service champions in the UK.

“We hope that planning permission will be granted for this centre, which would be the training hub for Shell in the East Anglia area.”

The matter is set to go before the Ipswich Borough Council planning committee in early June.