Plans for town centre clothes shop to become offices

by Lisa Reeves

Wednesday 7^th December 2016

Wed 7^th Dec 2016

A planning application has been submitted to Cheshire East Council for the change of use of a town centre retail unit into an office.

S G Response Ltd have applied for a change of use of 9-13, St Anns Parade from A1 (shop) to B1 (Office).

The unit is currently occupied by Wardrobe menswear shop, who have announced they will be relocating the store within Wilmslow, early in the new year.

The proposed opening hours for the office, which will employ 25 full-time members of staff, are 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 4pm Saturday.

The plans can be viewed on the Cheshire East Council website by searching for planning reference. 16/5737M. The last date for submitting comments is December 19th and a decision is expected by January 20th 2017.

Tags:: Planning Applications, St Annes Parade

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Simon Worthington

Wednesday 7^th December 2016 at 12:34 pm

If this proceeds three or four potential retail outlets will be gone to be replaced with nothing useful. There are plenty of offces to rent. This stinks of preplanning.

Martin Lewis

Wednesday 7^th December 2016 at 1:52 pm

Why not turn them into affordable homes!
We don't have any of these yet in Wilmslow yet!

Estelle Lewis

Friday 9^th December 2016 at 9:40 am

Oh yes, we need yet more offices! Not! I'm not surprised this has failed as a retail outlet though, the parking restrictings combined with zealous wardens and greedy landlords are killing off retail businesses everywhere.

Jon Armstrong

Friday 9^th December 2016 at 10:46 am

I don't think parking is an issue - there is a huge pay and display car park just across the road.

Terry Roeves

Friday 9^th December 2016 at 3:56 pm

Already tenants in the building aren't they? Running two sites a poor second to being all together under one roof.

DELETED ACCOUNT

Friday 9^th December 2016 at 8:33 pm

Jon - the "pay and display" was completely full - both carparks by 9.15a.m. on Wednesday morning.

Jon Armstrong

Friday 9^th December 2016 at 11:38 pm

How does that disadvantage them over any other shop in Wilmslow? Many others are much further from parking but do well.

It's obvious the location is the problem. There is no passing trade, and being set back from the road nobody would even be attracted to what it in the window. Other than guessing it was clothes from the name, I had no idea what it sells and I imagine most other people don't either. High end, cheap, male or female? No idea.

As I live in Wilmslow I rarely have the need to park in Wilmslow. If everyone else who lives in the town did the same and wasn't allergic to walking past the end of the street I doubt there would be any parking issue. The roads would be lot less congested too.

DELETED ACCOUNT

Sunday 11^th December 2016 at 6:58 pm

Jon - which are the shops "doing well" in Wilmslow? Many are managing to just survive and there are many vacant shops. Is this the correct place for offices? If the centre of Wilmslow is the correct place for more offices, why are so many standing empty at Riverside? Town centres are changing. Whilst this building should clearly become offices - the upper floors already are, do we also need the two two-thirds empty buildings at Riverside, which would make excellent flats. The reality is that developers are sitting on a large number of empty office builders in Wilmslow and Handforth because they prefer to build on the Green Belt.

Jon Armstrong

Sunday 11^th December 2016 at 10:34 pm

My point was that all the shops on Grove Street, for example, are further away from parking and that hasn't killed them, whereas Estelle was blaming lack of parking for this shop closing in that location.

The centre of Wilmslow probably isn't the right place for offices. You complain about the oversupply of offices, but it has been clear for years there is an oversupply of retail units too. With internet shopping and purpose built out of town places there just isn't the requirement there once was.

Dave Cash

Monday 12^th December 2016 at 1:11 am

The Application increases no of employee from 1 to 25.
I would suggest any front of house parking in St Anne's Parade should be limited to max of 2 hrs for clients/customers of assoc business' only, not employees