Our casework volunteer Emma explains how she supported a new business that had been given funding from the New Enterprise Allowance and needed some help with gaining planning permission for a dog grooming salon:
"My first job was to look at the property she had identified and the local Council’s validation list to ascertain what she would need to submit as part of the planning application. Luckily this was fairly straightforward given the urban location and the nature of the proposal, and involved a list of plans and a Planning Statement, as no building works were taking place...
...I wrote the planning statement, including information about what the proposal involved, the number of jobs created and the opening hours; and assessed the proposal against the relevant planning policies including the principle of the change of use, amenity issues, accessibility and the provision of employment. Whilst there was a presumption against the loss of A1 units in this particular location, there were also policies that sought to bring under-used land back into use and provide communities with a range of local facilities.
The application was submitted in August 2017 and was approved quickly, with a grant of permission received in late September 2017! Luckily the local authority had agreed that the proposal would bring into use an empty local unit which would complement the local shopping facility and not prejudice the overall retail and business aims of the parade of shops. No objections were raised from the local community and the proposal was not considered to cause any amenity issues to surrounding neighbours.
Now, in late 2022, it looks as though the dog grooming salon is still in operation which is really good news!"