Plans to create flats above retail unit

by Lisa Reeves

Wednesday 10^th January 2018

Wed 10^th Jan 2018

Plans have been submitted to convert the upper floors of a four storey retail premises into residential units.

The proposal is to change the use of first and second floors of 11 Grove Street, which was occupied by an art gallery until its closure just before Christmas, to enable two one bedroom flats to be created.

The scheme also includes a new ground floor lobby to provide access to the residential units. The rest of the ground floor and basement are to be retained as retail.

The plans can be viewed on the Cheshire East Council website by searching for planning reference 17/6401M.

The last date for submitting comments is 24th January and a decision is expected by 15th February.

Tags:: Grove Street, Planning Applications

Comments

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

Simon Worthington

Thursday 11^th January 2018 at 11:30 am

This is the second application of this kind with an attempt by greedy commercail property owners to evade the onerous rates deservedly levied on their empty property that they cannot let at the rents they desire. This is no place for residential opposite a bar which may cause noise. However, drip gold into the right pocket........

Birgitta Hoffmann

Thursday 11^th January 2018 at 6:21 pm

While I am with Simon in not necessarily a flat opposite a bar the most quiet in the neighbourhood, I lived long enough in central Manchester, to know that they usually find their fans and quickly. 11 Grove Street has had a long and unhappy sequence of large retailers renting the premises in the last few years from Barnados to the Fishshop to the Art Gallery (and I left a few out). Not sure why, but things don't seem to work well in these premises whatever you sell. So rather than have empty buildings, why not try a smaller shop space and a couple of flats, it might even help with security for the other shops to have somebody living there most days.

Oliver Romain

Saturday 13^th January 2018 at 7:30 am

A sensible use of space. With just in time supply chains shops do not need to fill and pay for vast spaces with thousands of pounds of stock. So these spaces need to be converted for the good of society, tenants and owners.
This will allow the ground floor to be rented at a cheaper price with lower rates because it doesn’t have two wasted floors above.
The bar will have to carry on managing its noise levels as required by its license. It’s not particularly noisy but may have to close its doors when music is playing.
The owner is a pension fund who will market the property with planning permission for conversion as it is illegal for them it to own residential property.
How many more homes could be made available by foreward thinking pension schemes?

DELETED ACCOUNT

Saturday 13^th January 2018 at 11:57 am

Agree Oliver - living above shops is the norm in most towns and an efficient use of space.

Deleted Account

Saturday 13^th January 2018 at 3:39 pm

Help Oliver,

I agree with you entirely.

With so much of the affordable homes in Wilmslow being anything but, steps to bring a decent first home to the electorate makes sense to me no matter how tiny.

What's more with Wilmslow & Handforth undertrading, new homes means more business means survival to our High St,.

Let's hope more empty stockrooms are similarly and sympathetically converted.

Oliver Romain

Saturday 13^th January 2018 at 9:30 pm

Thanks, also Birgitta is right about security. My family lived on a High Street years ago and reported an electronics shop burglary that would have gone otherwise unnoticed.
I have supported the application on the planning portal. I don’t think it’s the norm to live above shops any more. Quite the opposite unfortunately.
If it is carried out then this shop will find a tenant very quickly as it will be one of the most affordable rents on Grove Street, thanks to the reduced footprint.