RCC had previously worked with the building owner in creating two flats in the upper floor of this commercial property. Whilst the ground floor had been retained in commercial use a number of tenants had come and gone as they had struggled in the edge of centre location.
Whilst local planning policies sought to resist the loss of ground floor commercial uses the Government has introduced a number of permitted development rights to allow for more flexible changes in use, even in town centres. Whilst full planning permission is not required (if you meet a number of criteria) you still need to go through a prior approval process and there are many 'hoops to jump through'. RCC ensured the proposal was presented in a detailed and robust way and the result was an approval in well under 8 weeks.
