A former Barclays bank building will be converted into five new flats and two shops, after the council backed the proposals. Plans have been agreed for the former bank in High Street, Dunmow to be converted, which includes one and two bedroom flats.
The proposals were scaled back with the developer initially hoping on seven flats at the site. There are three parking spaces proposed and designated cycle spaces to the rear of the site in a secure and lockable cycle store, with room for eight bicycles.
The two shop units have been “appropriately” sited on the high street front part of the building. The five flats have been placed within the middle and rear sections of the building in the “more quiet and private” part of the site.
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The plans state: “It is not considered that the application would result in any material detrimental overlooking, overshadowing or overbearing, therefore would not adversely impact on neighbour’s amenity due to the location of the proposed development within the site and the separation distance to neighbouring dwellings.
“The pre-application built heritage advice given was based on a proposal for seven residential units and two commercial units and the heritage advice was that this would be a too intensive a use of the site. This proposal has therefore sought to address the feedback and seeks to deliver five residential units instead. In terms of the commercial use and delivery of two retail units, the heritage advice agreed that much of the historic floor plan has already been lost through the former bank use and therefore had no objection to the proposal of the ground floorplan.
“However, the heritage officer would seek a proposal that sought to retain the appearance of the principle elevation and restoration of the wall where the previous cash machine was located. The pre-application advice also indicated that a future proposal would have the potential to deliver heritage benefits to the site including the sensitive repair of the rear outbuilding and the overall decorative order and appearance of the listed building.
“The details before you result in a quality change of use scheme which seeks to retain the character of the listed building façade and retain commercial use use on the ground floor, whilst providing new homes to meet Great Dunmow’s existing needs.”
The Barclays in Dunmow shut down on August 19, 2022. Barclays explained the closure of the Dunmow branch, along others in Essex, by saying that customers are preferring to bank elsewhere, particularly online and using their phones.