Linthorpe shop and office plan refused due to impact on 'character and appearance of street scene'

Middlesbrough Council has refused planning permission for a vacant shop and a flat that sits above it on Roman Road.

Planning officers decided not to give the Linthorpe development the green light due to the expected “impact on conservation area and the character and appearance of the street scene”. The submitted plans had also received numerous objections.

The description of proposed works, outlined by the refusal notice, explained plans to make external alterations to the shop front as well as adding “an additional access door to the upper floors” and changing the use of the upper floors into office space. Additionally, there would be replacement windows, new roof lights, a single storey rear extension and a new rear dormer window.

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The application form details that the property currently comprises a vacant shop unit and a flat. According to the application, the shop has been out of use since late 2022. The document also outlined the proposal to create two full-time jobs and three part-time jobs if plans were approved.

The council’s delegated report set out the plans that had been submitted initially. “The original submission was for the ground floor to be retained as a retail unit and for the change of use of the first floor and conversion of the attic space to provide a three bedroomed flat,” documents explained. Feedback was provided by the council that “original submission plans did not accord with local and national plan policies and therefore could not be supported”.

Following this, there were two sets of revised plans submitted in the following months, with these initially revised plans submitted on October 30. Advice was given that the scheme still could not be supported due to “alterations to the shop frontage and the rear dormer window" which would have a "resulting impact on the character and appearance of the existing building and the wider Linthorpe Conservation area”.

The final version of the application was submitted on November 5, last year. Feedback from the council once again highlighted flaws and provided suggestions, however these were “not considered suitable by the agent”.

The planning application was refused on the grounds of “impact on conservation area and the character and appearance of the street scene”. The refusal notice, signed by Paul Clarke, Middlesbrough ’s Head of Planning, said: “In the opinion of the Local Planning Authority, the removal of the original shop frontage and the design and appearance of the new shop front resulting from the requirement for the additional separate access door along with the installation of the rear dormer window would have a notable harmful impact on the existing character and appearance of the street scene and the Linthorpe Conservation area.”

The refusal letter details how the applicant has 12 weeks from January 10 to appeal against the decision, to the Secretary of State, if they so choose. Middlesbrough Authorising Officer, Andrew Glossop believed that the case of refusal was clearly justified with a good chance of the decision being supported at appeal level.