Located just outside of the Town Centre the existing occupiers of the building no longer had a need for the space, with a potential new occupier looking for a D1 Use Class.
A sequential assessment was required, by the Council, to justify that there were no suitable premises within the Town Centre.
The existing building had very limited off-street parking, far less than required by the relevant supplementary planning guidance. The proposed use likely had a higher demand and larger vehicle movements associated with it.
The proposed opening hours of the building, and associated noise and comings and goings were different from the existing use and this needed to be considered, and justified, in relation to the surrounding properties which had a mix of both commercial and residential dwellings.
We were able to persuade both the Local Highways Authority and the Local Planning Authority that overall, the principle of the change of use was acceptable along with the additional parking spaces required by the SPG would not materially affect the area.
Planning Permission was granted accordingly for the change of use.
