Change of use Poole retail to bar restaurantBorough of Poole: Back in September last year Pure Town Planning secured planning consent for the extension of opening hours to a restaurant/bar in Ashley Cross conservation area in Poole (see here).

Following this consent we were asked by the owner of the premises to assist them with their expansion plans and are delighted to report that last week we obtained planning permission for the existing restaurant/bar to extend into the adjacent (former flower shop) premises. This was achieved by applying to Borough of Poole for a change of use from Use Class A1 (flower shop) to Use Class A3 (restaurant) and the works to integrate the two units under one application.

Often in the planning world there are a number of routes/options available to achieve the desired outcome (more than one way to skin a cat etc). For instance we could have applied for this under two planning applications (the first for the change of use of the flower shop to A3 restaurant and then a second application to merge the two adjacent A3 premises into one). This is perhaps a more cautious approach but sometimes this route is less risky (the slowly slowly catchy monkey route as we call it here in the office). However this would have taken twice as long and would have incurred the owner greater costs. In this particular case our client’s time constraints meant that applying under one application was the only viable option.

During the progress of this application, the proposal raised a number of concerns with local residents with regards to additional noise and disturbance due to the increased capacity of the premises. Pure Town Planning provided a strong rebuttal to these concerns and it also assisted that the applicant offered to increase the sound insulation to protect residents amenities above and beyond that of the existing premises. In combination this strategy convinced the planning officer to recommend approval to her team leader. The team leader agreed with the recommendation and the planning approval was issued on the 8 week target date. The premises is undergoing a full refit and refurbishment as part of the expansion and we can’t wait to see the new look!

If you are planning on growing your business and feel you need a successful firm of local planning consultants on your side to push through your expansion plans; whether that be extension to premises, change of use or increasing the opening hours, then please contact Matt, Dan or Neil on 01202 585524 or info@puretownplanning.co.uk and we would be delighted to assist you.