A consultation has been launched amid a developer’s fight to turn part of a Grade II-listed building into flats.
Last year, West Norfolk Council twice rejected Gain SPVKL’s applications to convert former offices into four flats on the first and second floors of Bishops Lynn House on the Tuesday Market Place.
Gain SPVKL appealed to the Planning Inspectorate – the Government department which presides over planning disputes – to overturn the decision, and now nearby residents have been sent a letter asking for their thoughts on the proposal.
People have until September 1 to have their say, with the Government accepting the appeal. An inspector will visit the building in due course.
The application was turned down last year due to noise worries and a “contrived” design.
Conservation officers warned that the plans for the building were lacking in detail, and The Norfolk and Fens Cycling Campaign claimed that the storage facilities on offer for bikes was inadequate.
While borough council planning officers accepted that losing office space would not harm employment opportunities in Lynn, they were concerned that the flats would not be spacious enough.
“Whilst there are no space standards for shower rooms or kitchens, it is questionable whether the spaces proposed are sufficient in size to accommodate facilities one would expect in such rooms,” their report said.
The previous application was also refused due to the planned accommodation being “small, cramped and in some instances lacking appropriate natural light as a result of poor design”.
The council had expressed concerns about noise generated from town centre events, such as Festival Too, and the impact this would have on people living in the flats.
“The proposed development would result in less than substantial harm to a designated heritage asset… that is not outweighed by the public benefit by not respecting the original form, plan or layout of the historic, grand, interior living space,” a report added.
People can comment on the appeal by visiting https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk and entering the reference APP/V2635/W/25/3369175.
They can also send a letter to Room 3B, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Bristol, BS1 6PN, quoting the same reference.
