Expansion means new shops
OWNERS KEEN ON HAIRDRESSER, PHARMACY OR OFFICES AFTER EXTENSION APPROVED
A CONVENIENCE shop in the heart of a residential area could soon be expanding its offer following a successful planning application.
The owners of Barton Green Convenience Store, which also houses a post office, have won conditional permission to extend the building to three retail units instead of one.
The shop in Hartness Road, Clifton will be retained. No changes will be made to the existing business. The plan is to demolish the conservatory at the back of the site and add a single-storey extension, meaning a redesign of the shop layout to enable the storage areas to be split into three retail units.
The two new units will then be available to rent. Plans state: “The client does not have any potential users lined up for this space, but would welcome a hairdresser or pharmacy type of usage.”
To maintain access to the rear of the building and the first floor flat, a new internal passage from the front of the building to the back has been created with a new personal door.
Then three new shop fronts will be installed to the new units, in dark grey coated aluminium, with the current block paving adjusted to give level access to all doorways.
All shop fronts will have automatic sliding doors, and the existing roller shutters will be used where possible.
Signs to the new units will be as per existing signboards. Plans add that the proposed work “will offer additional retail services.”
It states “The alterations are low impact and will bring benefit to the local community by providing additional services locally.”
The application was prepared by Lacey & Owen Architectural Services Ltd for Mr & Mrs Dosanjh.
Owner Mandeep Dosanjh told the Post: “We are very pleased with the decision. We have owned the building since May 2018. We just saw an opportunity to grow as this is the only shop in this residential area.
“We did originally look to get planning permission for a food takeaway but there were complaints - so we came to this idea, which has been accepted. It could be an office space for someone, a salon or beautician.”
Mr Dosanjh said he hoped to move forward with development this year, once the conditions of the application had been met. Resident Arwin Dantis, 47, said: “It’s quite a popular shop with nice owners, so it’s good to see the expansion. “The Post Office is really useful and does get busy.
“There are no other cashpoints nearby so it is handy. A salon would be good, I think there is only one other barber nearby.”
Some neighbours are apprehensive about the new plans following the earlier proposals of a takeaway.
Two neighbours who did not wish to be named said some had concerns about the impact of traffic.
One said: “There are also going to be some other developments in the area including nearly 300 homes, so the potential extra traffic is concerning. It is already hard with parking and people use the road to turn around – and people will travel by car not just on foot.”
Another said: “I’m not convinced that the expansion is really needed with so much in Clifton already.”