A bid to open a Spar shop in the former Holbeach Library has been turned down.
South Holland District Council has refused a change of use application to turn what was most recently a beauty parlour into a building for retail use.
In the report refusing the application, officers stated the building is situated outside the designated area of Holbeach town centre.
It continues that the applicant, Mr V Odedra, had produced a ‘sequential test’ that showed there was no ‘suitable commercial vacant premises’ within the town centre boundaries as set in planning laws.
“The only vacant ground floor premises in the town centre Identified was No 1 West End on the corner between West End Road and B1168,” the test results state. “This location would not be suitable because parking and access would not be feasible for a food retail shop of this size.”
However planning officers state according to the South and East Lincolnshire Local Plan, any shop outside of a defined town centre shouldn’t exceed a maximum of 100 square meters floor space, unless there’s a ‘geographic deficiency’.
The Spar application is for a shop that’s 179 square metres and the deciding report states: “The submission has not been supported by a detailed evidence that the site is within a geographic deficiency, and therefore, a requirement for the unit to exceed 100 square metres has not been demonstrated.”
It continues: “It has not been satisfactorily demonstrated that the shop would provide for an underserved area.
“Within reasonable walking distance there are sufficient convivence (sic) stores, or similar uses, for residents to gain day-to-day essentials.”
The building has been empty since the Novo Cosmetics beauty business moved to Market Place in Long Sutton.
Before that the 1970s built site had housed the town’s library.
In a completely seperate application, plans for Spar’s proposed signage has been passed by South Holland District Council’s planning officers.
