Located in a primarily residential area and in a terrace of dwellings, the existing building may originally have been a dwelling-house however had been a retail unit for many years and still retained its original shop front. Having received an earlier change of use to split the building into an Office with flats above, our clients approached us to change the office into a clinic.
The unit had no on-site parking and was located outside of the Town Centre requiring careful consideration and justification in highways terms.
Similarly, the comings and goings and overall hours of operation in relation to the adjoining residential properties was a key issue for the LPA. Cycle parking was suggested as a way to improve the parking provision, encouraging staff to use more sustainable forms of transport.
Planning Permission was ultimately approved after successfully justifying the comparison of the maximum allowable use of the existing building, the sustainable location (including surrounding parking provision), as well as the limited, appointment-only basis, convinced the Planning Department that the change of use would not be harmful or unacceptable.
