West Dorset District Council: Darryl Howells has secured a Prior Approval permission to convert an office building at Castle Court, Sherborne into 24 self-contained flats. Part O of Part 3 of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended) permits the conversion of offices to residential provided the applicant can demonstrate: adequate on site car parking provision; the site is not at risk of flooding; will not be harmed by nearby commercial noise; and accords with any Habitat Regulations adopted by the Council.
The process of permitted development Prior Approval is swift and avoids subjective judgements normally considered by the planning officer when determining a planning application for a block of flats, or policy based judgements. This scheme was designed by LMA Architects based in Bournemouth but the application was submitted and handled by Darryl. The decision was granted under delegated powers within 7 weeks of submission of the planning application.
If you have vacant offices and are experiencing difficulty trying to occupy them with tenants, the conversion to residential units may be an appropriate alternative to your site. If interested, please contact Pure Town Planning for a free appraisal.