Flats planned above town centre sports store

Walsall Council planners have granted outline permission for seven flats to be built on the two floors above the Sportio store in Stafford Street.

A previous proposal for nine flats was rejected by officers but the developer, listed as Mr A Kharabanda, addressed previous concerns and returned with fresh plans.

The building is locally listed but the applicant added there would be minimal alterations made to it.

Richard Sykes, for Sykes Planning Ltd, said: “The application is in outline form and proposes the the part change of use of the property from retail/storage to retail uses at ground floor and 4 self-contained flats and 3 studios at the first and second floors.

“The site is in a sustainable town centre location and the principle of the use as a car-free development are acceptable.

“Following the earlier refusal of planning permission the applicant has reduced the number of flats / studios and worked to improve the layout such that the development would result in a high standard of accommodation for future occupiers.

“The site is a Locally Listed building, and a non-designated heritage asset.

“The nature of the proposal is of minimal, but sympathetic, external changes and the agreement, in principle, to other improvements to the Stafford Street frontage to address earlier longstanding and ‘lawful’ alterations (e.g. windows, shutters and the shopfront).

“Therefore, it would accord with the requirements of policies in the Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework and it is considered that planning permission should be granted.”