Wolverhampton Beatties transformation set to go-ahead after planners give green light to redevelopment
Plans to redevelop Wolverhampton's famous Beatties department store, including the restoration of a crescent-shaped terrace, have been given the go-ahead by planners.
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Eden (Beatties) Ltd has been granted planning permission to turn the 100-year-old Art Deco department store into 306 apartments and 73,000 sq ft of commercial floorspace.
The plans, unveiled last month, will see the removal of a ground-floor extension, which was added to the store in the 1990s, to open up a concave recess in the frontage which had been a distinctive architectural feature of the original building.
Beatties has been empty since the end of 2020, when owner House of Fraser moved to a smaller department store in the Mander Centre.
The 376,636 sq ft building was bought for £3 million by SSYS Beatties Ltd, owned by London-based solicitor Pragnesh Modhwadia, who was granted permission for a mixed us development comprising flats and commercial space.
But the scheme floundered following the collapse of Mr Modhwadia's business empire, with £61 million allegedly going missing.
Eden Estates bought the building from the receiver for £6.16 million, and drew up fresh plans for the site.
Architects said the new plans were carefully designed to retain as much of the building’s original fabric as possible.
