Plan to bring disused Telford shop back into use is re-submitted
Plans have been re-submitted to bring a disused shop back into use after the development was ‘mothballed’ by the coronavirus pandemic.
Permission was granted in 2021 for the reinstatement of the former shop at Four Ways in Queens Road, Donnington.
The shop was previously operational in the 1990s but has since been closed. The site’s last known use was as a residential property.
Part-retrospective plans have been submitted to Telford & Wrekin Council to reinstate the former shop and the building of a single-storey side extension and detached garage.
A covering letter submitted by applicant agent Dawley Architectural Limited said: “The project was mothballed during the Covid pandemic as there were a number of pre-commencement conditions and various other reasons.
“Fast forward to 2024 and unaware of the conditions the client had made a start on the project and the scheme has also been slightly reduced.
“The applicant no longer proposes to develop the first floor of the building and has made some changes to the size of the ground floor side extension.”
As part of the new application no increase of parking is proposed to the seven existing parking spaces. The existing three-bedroom property on the first floor would remain unchanged as part of the new plans.
The shop is located on the crossroads of Wrekin Drive and Queens Road and has access off both roads.
“The immediate benefits of the proposal are to improve and embellish the now run-down semi-derelict former Four Ways store,” said the applicant in an existing design and access statement.
“The existing Mucklow style structure dates back to the nineteen forties when most of the houses in Donnington were built to accommodate the workers of the then CoD at Donnington. It sits on a generous site of over 1,400 square metres.
“In recent years it has become quite neglected and the site overgrown, vandalism and water leakages have exacerbated the damage to the fabric.”
When approving the previous application in 2021 a planning officer for Telford & Wrekin Council stated that the principal of reinstating the shop is ‘considered to be acceptable’.
They concluded: “It would diversify the facilities available nearby to the Donnington District Centre and would reuse a currently vacant site in a sustainable location. The site is considered to be large enough to facilitate the shop and residential use and would provide sufficient parking for both uses.”
The new planning application can be viewed on the online Telford & Wrekin Council planning portal, application number TWC/2024/0138. Any comments on the plans need to be made during the consultation phase which ends on March 12.
