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25
Jun 2023
Town centre living trend gathers pace in Harrogate
New plans have been submitted to change the use of a former Harrogate shop into flats as the trend towards town centre living gathers pace.
York-based Andrew Farr has applied to create six flats on West Park above the former Orvis store, which closed in April 2022 after 25 years of trading in the town.
It follows similar recent planning applications to change the use of town centre retail units into flats.
The former River Island shop on Cambridge Street is in the process of being converted to 15 flats and similar residential schemes have been proposed for the former main post office on Cambridge Road and the ex-King's Club strip club on Oxford Street.
Work has begun on converting the former River Island shop into flats.
This is the second time Mr Farr has brought forward the scheme.
He withdrew plans in March to convert the upper floors of the former Orvis to six flats and create bin and bike storage. Planning documents say that application was halted "following the receipt of the comments from the council’s private section housing officer".
They add the "revised proposal is largely identical" except for amendments to the internal layout.
It would see the upper floors of numbers 21a, 21 and 22 West Park converted.
Since Orvis closed, a bridal shop has opened on the ground floor of the premises.
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A planning and heritage statement sent to the council in support of Mr Farr's application says future residents of the flats would be able to apply for monthly or annual parking pass for West Park multi-storey car parking.
It adds the scheme would "enhance the vitality of the Harrogate town centre" and bring vacant floors back into use "without any identified harm to the character of the host building and the neighbouring Harrogate Conservation Area". It concludes:
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