Plan to turn empty city centre shop into flats rejected

A plan to turn an empty city centre shop into flats was rejected by councillors.

The building in Worcester’s St Martin’s Quarter, which was left empty by the closure of bargain shop Poundstretcher, could have been converted into a mix of one-and-two-bed flats under plans by developer Cedar Worcester.

Worcester City Council’s planning committee rejected the proposal at a meeting in the Guildhall on Thursday.

Concerns were raised about the small size of the flats, lack of outdoor space and the loss of retail space in the city centre.

Cllr Alan Amos also criticised the omission of parking spaces saying that many people living in the city centre would still own a car and would need somewhere to leave it.

Cllr Jenny Barnes said: “I’m more worried about the amenity space. It has very small areas which are mainly for bins and bike storage so there’s nowhere that people can go out, especially if they have children.

“The building fronts onto a busy shopping area where there’s a lot of footfall.”

Cllr Pat Agar said she was not as worried by the lack of parking but was concerned by the lack of outdoor space and people “feeling uncomfortable in their own homes” due to its location in a shopping area.

Councillors voted in favour of ‘minding to refuse’ the application which means it will go back to the committee at a later date for a final decision.

A decision was made by councillors – rather than by the council’s planning officers – at the request of Cllr Lynn Denham over the “principle of development, car parking, inappropriate use and lack of facilities and poor standard of accommodation for future occupants.”

The city’s Poundstretcher store closed in September last year after the company went into administration.

Part of the building is locally listed and most of it – Poundstretcher and Ladbrokes aside – has been empty for more than a decade and has failed to attract any interest.

Betting shop Ladbrokes would also close to make way for the flats and no new car parking spaces would be provided.

Cedar Worcester said the coronavirus lockdown and rise in people working from home as well as the drop in footfall and increase in online shopping over a number of years has made the units unattractive to potential retail tenants.