A disused car showroom in Bury is set to be turned into a shop.
Burton Brothers, whose car dealership at the site in Bury Road closed last year, has had its bid to change the use of the showroom to a shop approved by Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC).
HDC said the application was compliant with national and local planning policy and added: “The principle of the development for the change of use to a retail shop is acceptable.”
It said the proposal would not have an adverse impact on the area, and would safeguard amenities of neighbouring land and buildings.
Planners said the change of use did not cause any highways issues and was acceptable in terms of flood risk and biodiversity.
A report by planners described the scheme as providing an opportunity to bring a redundant building back into use.
“This application proposes no external alterations or extensions to the existing building. The proposal represents the opportunity to re-use a redundant building and reactive the street frontage on Bury Road,” the planning report said.
“It is considered that the existing building would be suitably functional as a retail shop and this proposal would have no adverse impact upon the character and appearance of the area.”
The scheme had also won the backing of Bury Parish Council. Burton Brothers had been in business for more than 50 years selling cars and providing vehicle servicing but closed the showroom last summer when ownerTony Burton retired.
The planning application said there would be no external alterations with the change but there would be a reconfiguration of the space inside to create a sales area.
It said: “Taking into account the limited building size the above would appropriately meet the business needs of a small-scale retail operator which the applicant is currently in the process of securing.”
The application said the scale of the building was appropriate for local needs, adding: “The subject building is currently vacant, providing the applicant the opportunity to effectively re-use the building that shall not only provide a new local service-community facility but also reactivate the street frontage on Bury Road and provide economic and social benefits for the immediate area and its residents.”
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