Town coucil objects to hospice shop in Burton Centre
Wednesday, 6th February 2013.
Haverhill Town Councillors have objected to the planning application from St Nicholas Hospice to move their shop into the Burton Centre.
Members of the council's planning committee meeting last night considered the application to change the use of the building from a community centre to a hospice outreach centre and shop.
The change of use permission is required because of the importation of a retail use into nthe building, which it does not currently have.
Members felt they could not see a planning objection to the centre becoming a hospice outreach centre, but that the inclusion of the shop was completely inappropriate.
Cllr Roger Andre said it conflicted with Government policy and with regional and local planning policies, including the Vision 2031 document currently being prepared, and the Local Development Framework.
Members also objected to the loss of amenity in the form of community facilities implied by the use of part of what was currently a community building as a shop.
They also had concerns about the effect of increased parking which could be generated by the conferences which the building would be used for on occasions.
They asked for a condition, if permission was granted, that these should not happen on market days when a large take-up of parking spaces in the nearest car park to the market could affect its viability.
The application touched a raw nerve for the council, which had hoiped to take over the centre as a base for youth activities, and is still considerting mounting a legal challenge to Suffolk County Council's decision to give it to the hospice instead.
Members of the council's planning committee meeting last night considered the application to change the use of the building from a community centre to a hospice outreach centre and shop.
The change of use permission is required because of the importation of a retail use into nthe building, which it does not currently have.
Members felt they could not see a planning objection to the centre becoming a hospice outreach centre, but that the inclusion of the shop was completely inappropriate.
Cllr Roger Andre said it conflicted with Government policy and with regional and local planning policies, including the Vision 2031 document currently being prepared, and the Local Development Framework.
Members also objected to the loss of amenity in the form of community facilities implied by the use of part of what was currently a community building as a shop.
They also had concerns about the effect of increased parking which could be generated by the conferences which the building would be used for on occasions.
They asked for a condition, if permission was granted, that these should not happen on market days when a large take-up of parking spaces in the nearest car park to the market could affect its viability.
The application touched a raw nerve for the council, which had hoiped to take over the centre as a base for youth activities, and is still considerting mounting a legal challenge to Suffolk County Council's decision to give it to the hospice instead.
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