Dorset Council has agreed a change of use application, which will see apartments above Lilliput’s Textiles and Home Store
Permission has been granted to convert the area above a shop in Bridport town centre into two apartments.
Dorset Council has agreed a change of use application, which will see two three-bedroom apartments above Lilliput’s Textiles and Home Store at 58 West Street.
The plans are for two ‘loft style’ apartments with mezzanine floors, which would be accessed via the flat roofed area, which would also serve as the access point to the maisonettes above the main listed buildings.
The planning application also included the removal of an existing lift shaft, along with the installation of new first floor windows and roof lights.
Alterations will also be made to the shop on the ground floor of the building, to provide a new staff area.
Bridport Town Council welcomed the conversion, with councillors considering the development to be important for the future viability of the shop and for the provision of additional town centre residential accommodation.
There were some objections to the plans, with West Street residents claiming the apartments could lead to a loss of privacy due to the potential of their homes being overlooked from the new windows. The application stated that the windows would be ‘manufactured on angle to avoid directly overlooking amenities below’.
The site is a Grade II listed building, within the conservation area.
A council officer report concluded that there would be no impact on historic fabric as the proposed conversions are all located with the modern rear extension and do not involve the historic former cottage, which is now the Lilliput’s store. As a result of this, the officer gave no objection given to the proposed change of use to the ‘generally unused retail storage space’.
