Planning approval has been secured for the change of use of a vacant town-centre property in Consett, County Durham, from a café and office use to a small educational facility. The application, related to shop in Consett. The proposal involved changing the ground floor from a café (Class E) and the upper floor from offices (Class E) to Provision of Education (Class F1(a)).
Reusing a vacant town-centre property
A key consideration in the assessment was the location and previous use of the building.
The premises had most recently operated as a café with offices above but had apparently been vacant for a number of years. The proposed educational use would bring the building back into active use without requiring external alterations, other than a separate proposal for signage.
The Council recognised the benefits of making use of an existing vacant building within the defined town centre.
Consett is identified as a Large Town Centre within the County Durham Plan retail hierarchy. The planning assessment noted that the town has a relatively high level of vacancy, with the application premises having been vacant for a number of years. While education is not identified as one of the prescribed main town-centre uses, Durham County Council considered that the proposed use could complement the location and was preferable to the property remaining vacant.
This is an important consideration for changing patterns of town-centre activity, particularly where existing commercial premises may no longer be viable or appropriate for their previous use.
A relatively low-intensity educational use
The proposed facility would be operated by a charity as a small educational facility providing structured learning and support for young people. The proposal was designed around a maximum of 25 students on site at any one time, primarily aged between 14 and 18, with provision for individuals up to 24 where an Education, Health and Care Plan is in place.
Staffing would comprise one full-time employee, one term-time employee and three part-time staff working on a rota basis. The proposed operational hours were Monday to Friday, with the facility operating during normal weekday hours.
As with many changes of use, the relationship between the proposed activity and neighbouring properties was carefully considered. The surrounding area contains a mixture of residential and commercial uses. Environmental Health raised no objection, subject to a condition controlling the operating hours.
The Council concluded that the proposed education use was unlikely to have a greater impact on neighbouring amenity than the previous café and office uses, particularly given the proposed scale and hours of operation.
The permission ultimately includes a condition preventing pupils from occupying the premises outside 08:00–17:00 Monday to Friday, or at weekends and on Bank Holidays. Staff access for preparation, administration, maintenance, security, cleaning and other ancillary purposes is permitted outside those hours.
Planning House provides independent planning advice on planning applications, changes of use and development proposals across England. If you are considering bringing a vacant commercial property back into use, we can advise on the planning opportunities and considerations associated with your proposal.
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