Today I spotted a planning application for a change of use of basement and ground floor from a retail unit (Use class A1) to a restaurant (Use class A3) at 63 George Street. That's the now-closed Jessops shop. I was worried about the loss of another retail unit and the addition of yet another food outlet/bar (that's what A3 is) so asked the planning officer about it. He explained that the council has to assess any against its own retail policies in the Local Plan depending on the number of retail units left within the street and how this affects these policy thresholds.A couple of days later the planning officer came back to me and explained that he had reviewed the proportion of non-A1 (retail) uses within the secondary shopping frontage of the city centre (within which the site is located - in line with policy RC5 of the Local Plan). The proportion of A1 uses at ground floor level taking account of the change of proposed would equate to 51% (as based on January 2013 surveys by the Council). The policy minimum threshold for retail units is set at 50%. Consequently the proposal would not be contrary to the Council’s town centre/retail policies.
In English that means the retail units proportions policy does not give planning ground to refuse the application and so it would probably be granted. I have to accept that really. The only other thing I would like to see is a condition about is where the proposed A3 user will store waste. There is a growing problem of large industrial waste bins being left out all over the city centre's pavements and I really don't want this unit to be another that does that. I've asked it if can be conditioned that all waste must be stored onsite unless it is out for collection, say within the next two hours. There are currently too many A3 users that area leaving pavements looking awful all week and I really don't want that to get worse - All Bar One and the bins all over Alfred Street is a an example of this poor practice as are some of the A3 units on Gloucester Green.
To my delight, the planning officer said it would be entirely possible to write such a condition into the permission requiring any future A3 user to store waste/bins on the premises at all times except immediately before and after waste collection. He said he would look at ways of making the condition as precise as possible (as required by Government guidance on conditions) so that it is enforceable if necessary and even went as far as to say he had circulated my concerns to all officers within the development control team for them to bear in mind when assessing such applications. I am extremely impressed!
