Bennetts apartments plan gets nod, with reservations
PLANS to turn the town centre’s biggest empty shop into 11 flats have crossed their first hurdle despite a string of concerns, including parking and pollution.
Ashbourne Town Council fears a lack of parking, tricky access for bin lorries and a high level of pollution in St John Street would make living in the former Bennetts building a challenge but they voted with a slim majority not to lodge any objections.
The application, which will now be handed over to Derbyshire Dales District Council to decide, would see the 1,050 sq m building’s ground floor given over to two shops, but the rest of the floorspace would become one and twobedroomed apartments.
Discussing it at their virtual planning meeting on Monday, Ashbourne Town councillors voiced their concerns, picking holes in details such as an apparent lack of storage for the shop units, but focusing on pollution and parking fears.
Cllr Andy White said: “If you’ve got 11 separate flats then undoubtedly there’s going to be people with vehicles.
“And it’s the same old problem: we don’t have enough parking in town, particularly if we’re going to start developing buildings as dwellings. We’re short on parking now, and we need to give that a lot of thought.” Cllr White was one of many to point out the potential issues caused by pollution from the hundreds of vehicles that pass the building every day.
The comments have been echoed in a formal representation made by Ashbourne resident Peter Dobbs, who wrote to Derbyshire Dales District Council as part of the public consultation to point out that no Nitrogen Oxide (NOX) measurements have been made in St John Street, despite the high volume of heavy traffic that passes.
Addressing the pollution issue, Cllr White said: “The NOX risk there needs bringing up. This application may perhaps give us a little power to get some answers on the levels that we keep asking for.”
Cllr Bob Pugh, committee chairman, also pointed out a lack of any affordable housing provision in the application, which has been submitted on behalf of owner Peter Cook.
The site was vacated in April 2019 when Bennetts fell into administration and agents tried for 18 months to rent it out as a retail unit but no interest was shown.
The design capitalises on the building’s many doorways and levels to knit the 11 flats into the complex floorspace - with two two-bedroomed flats proposed alongside nine onebedroomed flats.
The councillors voted with a majority of four to three to lodge no objection as part of their consultation response.
But a submission will be sent to Derbyshire Dales District Council including a string of concerns, including references to specific policies they feel the plans might contravene.