Plans to revive a vacant shop in St John’s have been put forward.
Developers want to open a small retail kiosk in the empty shop front at 1 St John’s and turn the rest of the ground floor of the building into a one-bedroom apartment.
According to planning documents submitted to Worcester City Council, KJB Commercial Real Estates says it already has an agreement with a potential occupier.
The shop unit, which occupies the ground floor of a Grade II listed building, was once home to an undertakers but has been vacant for much of the past eight years.
A cake shop - the Little Shop of Cake - traded from the building between August 2022 and September 2023.
The upper floors of the building are already in use as apartments.
“The proposed apartment would have an open plan kitchen/dining area, with a separate bedroom and en-suite, and an internal storage area,” planning documents state.
“It would be accessed principally from the rear of the site, via an alleyway and where there are other residential entrances served off a large courtyard and parking area.
“The entrance to this apartment would be via a door at the end of the alleyway which currently serves a lobby to the apartment above, with a new door being provided through from that lobby into this apartment.
“The front of the building would be retained as a small retail kiosk which, as evidenced by a supporting letter from KJB Commercial Real Estates, will be much more attractive to potential occupiers than the current unit.
“The scheme retains an active frontage onto St Johns and will enhance the vitality and viability of this district centre, whilst ensuring that it evolves and adapts to changes in the retail industry.”
Applicants say the building is in a “highly sustainable location” in the heart of St John’s so is “not therefore a location where the future occupants will need a car to meet their day-to-day needs”.
But it is pointed out there are 36 parking spaces nearby owned by the landlord, which are used by other tenants of his.
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