A former outdoor sports shop can now be converted into eight flats after planning permission was granted by Cheshire West and Chester Council. 

The ground floor retail unit, based on Queen Street, Chester, was originally a Sail and Ski sports shop that has since closed its doors.

The unit would be converted to form eight self-contained flats with an associated refuse and cycle storage area. 

The proposal involves the addition of another floor through the extension upwards. 

The design and access statement said: "This unit has been vacant for some time and is not within the main shopping area of the centre, and therefore has suffered from a lack of footfall customers. 

"The site is within a predominantly residential part of the city centre, it is therefore logical for this conversion to take place.

"The application is in a very sustainable location in terms of its proximity to urban areas, and the proposal is clearly suited to the area.

"The site is located within Chester City Centre amongst a mix of various planning uses, but it is within an area predominantly made up of residential development. 

"Given the circumstances, and the fact that the site is in a highly sustainable location, it is considered that the lack of parking can therefore be justified and there would be no unacceptable impact on highway safety, or the residual cumulative impacts on the road network would be severe."

The proposed floorplan shows eight self-contained apartments with provisions for a bike store (Image via: Planning application)

Additions to the building would be modern but seek to utilise materials that reflect the character and historic essence of the conservation area. 

The report continued: "The changes to the building would represent an improvement to the building, and would therefore have a positive impact on the conservation area.

"The site is not within the primary shopping area of the City Centre, nor is it a secondary shopping frontage, therefore the principle of this conversion to residential is acceptable in policy terms.

"In terms of residential amenity, the proposed development makes use of an existing building, with some modest additional extensions. 

"It is therefore considered that the proposal would not result in a significant adverse impact from either loss of outlook or privacy, light, noise and odour for existing or future residents."

You can read the full planning application here.