Scarborough hairdressers shop set to be converted into a home after North Yorkshire Council grants planning permission

Robin Gray’s application to convert Sarah’s Hairdressers into a two-bedroom residential property has been approved by North Yorkshire Council.

The hair salon is located on the ground floor of a three-storey terrace of commercial and residential properties at 14 Valley Bridge Parade in Scarborough, within the town’s conservation area.

Plans submitted by the applicant proposed that a larger room with bay windows would provide a lounge kitchen and that the second room would be a double bedroom.

A second single bedroom within a rear wing was also proposed, in addition to a shower room at the back of the property under a staircase to upper-floor flats.

However, the council’s environmental health team raised concerns about the size of the second bedroom.

In a report prepared by the planning authority, the health team said: “The smaller bedroom appears to have a floor area of approximately 5m2 and the 7.5m2 noted on the plan would seem to include part of the adjacent bathroom.

“The minimum acceptable size for a single bedroom is 6.5m2.”

The health team concluded that “if the size cannot be increased, then it can only be used as a study or a bedroom for a child under 10”.

However, the applicant submitted revised plans enlarging the size of the second bedroom by relocating the shower room and complying with required size standards.

No representations were received from members of the public and the Highway Authority had no objections.

While local policy requires applicants to demonstrate that marketing has been carried out “before the loss of a community facility”, the authority said it would set aside the requirement due to “the number of vacant shop premises, including a large proportion of the nearby Brunswick shopping mall”.

According to the report, the remainder of the building is already in residential use and the proposal will provide “a modest dwelling unit within a sustainable location” close to town centre facilities and public transport.

The scheme was approved by North Yorkshire Council on Monday, July 24.