A former office is set to be transformed into three different establishments: a restaurant/cafe as well as a retail unit and another restaurant/takeaway.
The development, set to take place in Coulby Newham, would see the former office entirely repurposed.
The description, as part of the delegated report, outlines that the “application site forms part of a building that is detached from the main Parkway Shopping Centre, Coulby Newham”. The site is situated to the southeast of the main shopping centre.
It also points out that “this application follows a previous consent for the same change of use granted in 2019. To date, this has not been implemented.”
In terms of a public response to the plan, other than the 19 original neighbour consultations, there were zero comments, objections, support or representations made.
The MBC Policy Team did raise concerns about allowing a “hot food takeaway (HFT)” in the proposed location: “The proposed HFT use lies approximately 410m of The Kings Academy secondary school, although slightly above the 400m threshold, the difference is minimal with respect to the impact this could have upon contributing to achieving healthier communities; and therefore, should be given careful consideration when making any decision.”
However, when discussing the impact on the vitality and viability of the area, the report explains : “It is considered that due to the position of the proposed units which would be set away from the main Parkway centre and at an appropriate distance from the school, it is considered that the HFT use would be acceptable in this case.”
The Planning Consideration and Assessment section details the expected impact on the character and appearance of the area and does not consider it to be a concern.
“There would be no extensions to the ground floor with only some fenestration changes proposed. As such, there is not considered to be notable harm to the character and appearance of the street scene.
“Given the commercial setting of the district centre, the proposed uses would not be considered out of character.”
Concerns were also raised regarding the late opening times of the cafe and HFT, but “having assessed the nearby uses, there are a range of retail, leisure centre and hot food takeaway which utilise late night opening or in some cases are open 24 hours.
“As such, these proposed hours would not be out of keeping with this or be harmful to amenity over and above what is already experienced.”
The report states that development work must begin within three years of the report’s publication date, which was 28 August 2024.
