House built without planning permission in Telford factory can stay, planners say

Applicant Mr Darren Bate of the Green Energy Centre Ltd had applied for retrospective planning permission to convert a former office space in a Dawley Bank factory building into a three-bedroom house, built over two floors.

The application submitted to Telford and Wrekin Council hoped to regularise a development which had changed the use of part of the "much larger factory building" at Shropshire Green Energy Centre on Cemetery Road that the applicant says was previously "under-used offices and store".

The former office had been converted into residential space in 2014.

Documents submitted with the application said the council's planning department had decided against enforcement action in favour of inviting an application to regularise the use of part of the building. 

It also added that a refusal of the application would risk leaving the current occupant homeless.

"Having a residential unit as opposed to a factory use offers benefits. The factory is potentially a non-conforming use in an area that is shifting from industry and manufacturing toward residential," it said.

"The development is for the repurposing of a redundant part of a factory building to provide a residential unit. As this application is retrospective, a refusal would risk leaving the current occupant without a home."

A planning statement submitted by the applicant added that the minimum space standards for residential accommodation had been met, also outlining the "sustainable" location of the site on major bus routes and within close distance of shops and amenities in Telford town centre.

A subsequent report from Telford & Wrekin Council's planning officers decided that the development was acceptable and would not result in "significantly detrimental harm" to nearby residential properties. 

But officers added that the residential accommodation was so inter-woven to the warehouse facilities that it should not be sold off separately in future.

"The last known, approved use on the site was a factory, however, it is understood that this use has ceased and the site has been used as a warehouse and distribution for a good period of time, alongside the ancillary residential accommodation," said the report.

"Officers consider the residential accommodation is only acceptable if restricted such that its usage is an integral part and incidental to the further uses permitted on site. 

"Officers are therefore of the view that the residential accommodation shall not at any time be occupied, let or sold as separate residential accommodation, to ensure the link remains in place in the future. "

As a condition of approval, an area laid out on the plans for residents parking was required to be hard surfaced and sign posted as 'residential use only'.