Bournemouth Borough Council: Pure Town Planning are pleased to announce we have recently secured a change of use from an A2 Unit to a one bedroom flat via the prior approval procedure. This change of use was in North Bournemouth on the Gillam Road shopping parade.
This prior approval is somewhat rarer and underutilised than the wider known B1 to C3 Prior Approval system. This allows units falling within A1 or A2 to change to a C3 Dwelling House subject to prior approval.
The client was interested in finding ways to add value to his existing shop, particularly if the shop could be converted into a flat. Following an initial free consultation, they suggested submitting a full application seeking planning permission to convert the unit into a flat. However, we suggested that they’d be better off pursing an application for prior approval under Part 3, Class M of the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO). Not only is this cheaper (£80.00 for the change of use and a further £92.00 if you do external building works) but it would limit the reasons for consideration in any subsequent application including but not limited to:
• The total floor space cannot exceed 150 square meters.
• The proposed external dimensions of the building cannot extend beyond the existing external dimensions. This does not hinder developments changing the windows, new doors etc.
• When the building is located in a key shopping area, whether the sustainability of that shopping area would be affected by the loss of an A1/A2 unit.
We put together a comprehensive planning statement showing how we fully complied with the relevant part of the GPDO, ensuring that we stood a high chance of success when it came to a Case Officer for a decision.
So if you have an existing shop or office (A1 or A2 use) and would like to see whether yours has residential potential, why not give us a call for a free 30 minute consultation or email info@puretownplanning.co.uk with your site and your proposal and let us #makeithappen for you too!