Vape shop plan to convert room into a flat approved

A ground floor storage space behind a vape shop has been approved for conversion into a one-bedroom flat.

West Northamptonshire Council approved the proposals for the rear of the Sky Blue Vape Megastore on Main Road in Duston, Northamptonshire after a planning meeting on Tuesday.

The application was submitted by Ultimate Juice Limited, which said the area behind the shopfront was no longer required.

The planning officer's report, which recommended approval for the project, said the proposals would "breathe new life into some under-used buildings".

The plans attracted 17 objections from members of the public, as well as concerns from Duston Parish Council.

They argued the development would worsen parking pressures and overdevelop the site.

One objector said: "Not only does the development of flats within this historic shop frontage go against all a conservation area stands for, [but] the infrastructure of this area does not lend itself to further residents along the Main Road.

"We already see discarded cigarettes and litter outside other shop front premises which have been converted incorporating rental flats."

Another added: "Further residential development along the Main Road will only increase parking issues, exacerbating an already congested road."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, revised plans removed illuminated lighting while keeping a black-and-white fascia with raised lettering.

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