A new application has been submitted for part of the former B&M store in Nantwich to be converted into 20 apartments, writes Belinda Ryan.
A previous application from Apavi Group Holdings was refused by Cheshire East planners in the summer, but this latest one says issues relating to bin and cycle storage have been revised.
A planning statement submitted by DRK Planning states: “This application is only for self-contained class C3 apartments.
“It is and it cannot be for class C4 HMO use or for occupation by asylum seekers, which would either be a sui generis or Class C1 use.
“Furthermore, there would be no permitted development rights to then seek to convert the premises to any such non-C3 uses and it is neither the applicant’s intention nor part of their business model to provide any such non-C3 uses in future.
“Instead, the proposed new apartments would provide high-quality additional housing choice and housing opportunities for small households and young families in Nantwich seeking to get on the housing ladder in a centralised and highly sustainable location.”
The proposal is for nine one-bedroom, one-person flats; seven one-bed, two-person flats, and four two-bed, three-person flats.
It involves the change of use of part of the ground floor and the full first floor of the building and includes three car parking spaces and 20 for cycles.
The planning document states: “Separate to this proposal, the applicant is refurbishing and upgrading the ground floor shop.
“These works are limited to internal alterations to the shop frontage and the front part of the internal trading space only and therefore any current building work on site is only in relation to the existing retail part of the property and does not amount to a material change of use of the building.”
A Hope House Children’s Hospice shop is due to move into the retail part of the store next month, from its current High Street premises on the corner.
The application, number 25/3856/PRIOR-3MA, regarding the prior approval for the change of use to residential, can be viewed on the planning portal on Cheshire East Council’s website.
The last date for submitting comments is November 5.
As a Dabber and Nantwich resident who also works in the development and construction sector, I’m deeply concerned about this proposal for the former B&M site.
While I fully support appropriate regeneration of our High Street, this scheme feels like a missed opportunity and a poor fit for Nantwich. The proposed flats appear cramped, uninspired, and lacking in any meaningful design quality or outdoor space. This is not the kind of housing that improves our town or provides residents with a decent standard of living.
From what I can see, the developers appear to be out-of-town opportunists, focused more on maximising short-term return on investment than on creating homes that benefit Nantwich or its community. This is not a community-led or locally-minded proposal — it prioritises profit over people, at the expense of both future tenants and existing residents.
Nantwich deserves thoughtful, high-quality, sustainable development that complements its character and heritage. Allowing substandard, high-density flats like these risks setting a worrying precedent for the future of our town centre.
I sincerely hope Cheshire East planners and local councillors look closely at this application and insist on a far higher design standard for such a prominent site. Our High Street — and our community — deserve better than this.
WHS to be a starbucks is the worst kept secret.
No doubt this will be filled with asylum seekers, how wonderful to have them milling around the town.
The exterior needs bringing in line with the Market Town. Opportune time to do it . That design should never have been allowed in that vicinity in the first place.
Whs is gonna be a star bucks
If you look at the original plans most have no windows to the outside, if the plan goes ahead it needs revision to make sure all properties have an external window.
The fire risk and escape routes don’t look safe.
37sq metres for one apartment, looks like a fire risk to me the density is too much
Excellent, the size of the premises lends itself to building apartments. The size of the building does not lend itself to a retail units or units.Nantwich already has empty shops, the newly refurbished WHS has not yet revealed new occupants.
there is a need for far cheaper housing as starter homes, but they will have to be priced keenly as generally new homes are overpriced for what you get, if they were for sale the maximum affordable needs to be based on a minimum wage worker, I do not think they should be for sale in all circumstances, far better to have some smaller ones as rentals because it will not be a forever home, and very limited use if there are children, I do think the developers are spreading the butter too thinly, since when is it ideal to have such a broad mixed use, this will only appeal to adults, certainly not families