Plans to turn a takeaway into two homes have been objected to by Westbury Town Council, amid concerns about parking and the future of the town centre.
Councillors debated a planning application to convert the Saffron Indian takeaway, at 10 Edward Street, into a studio flat and a one-bedroom maisonette, at a meeting of the Highways, Planning and Development Committee in late April.
They decided to object to the proposals, citing a lack of parking provision and the potential loss of a viable business.
Councillor Mark Bailey said, “My concern as ever with these things is the issue of parking. There is absolutely no provision for parking around there.
“This is not a shop that has been empty for a long time. It is viable business at the moment so I see no reason why it can’t continue as a viable business.”
Meanwhile Councillor Mark Harper said, “I don’t want to see the loss of retail space. But I can imagine if the owner wants to sell or convert the building and he’s not allowed to do that, we run the risk of another empty shop in Westbury. It could be empty for years and deteriorate in front of our eyes.
“We know how difficult it is to get people to take on shops. I’m conflicted on it.”
Westbury’s Mayor, Councillor Jane Russ, echoed Cllr Harper’s conflicted stance.
She explained, “On one hand, we are all saying we need lots of small places for people to rent and live in houses, flats and maisonettes.
“But actually, we need to keep the heart of the town as the heart of the town. I’m rather inclined to say no to this, and say let’s keep it [the building] retail.”
According to planning documents submitted to Wiltshire Council, there are currently four part-time staff members at the Saffron takeaway, all of whom have other permanent jobs. The documents state that the current business owner does not wish to continue running a takeaway.
During Westbury Town Council’s discussion of the proposals Cllr Bailey, who is also chair of the Vision for Westbury Committee, pointed to how the loss of another business could impact future improvement work in the town.
He said, “We actually have very few empty shops in the High Street area and our plan [the Vision for Westbury committee] over the next five years is to develop and promote that area.
“If everything is turned into residential homes we’ll have nothing left to develop and promote.”
Westbury Town Council’s objection to the plans for Saffron takeaway will be fed back to Wiltshire Council who will have final say on the proposals.
Picture: The owner of Saffron takeaway wants to convert the building into a flat and maisonette
