Plans for an industrial building next to the Esso service station in Ramshill have been given the green light.
Trademark House has been granted change of use from Class E(G)(iii) (Light Industrial) to Class B8 (self-storage) use, including addition of first and second floors in rear of the building.
The plans also include change of use to Class E(g)(i) (Office) in front of building, alterations to car park layout and retrospective installation of solar panels.
Previous planning applications have been listed for the site in the last few years, including demolition of the existing building and construction of 22 residential dwellings - comprising 15 flats and seven houses, and a commercial unit, provision of parking, waster storage and external landscaping.
Objections to the newest proposal raised concerns about the operating hours, the number of vehicles going in and out, parking, highway impact and more.
Petersfield Town Council had no objections but wanted the condition that if approved, the hours of business would be from 7am to 10pm.
The final officer’s report stated the operating hours would be:
- 7.30am to 8pm - Mondays to Fridays
- 8am to 8pm - Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays
In addition, a member of the self-storage staff must be present onsite at all times during the hours of operation.
The reason for the hours and the employee onsite is “to protect the residential amenities of the locality”.
Considering the number of vehicles, the transport addendum said: “ The proposed offices would likely result in some 6 or 7 vehicles manoeuvring to and from the site during the morning and evening peak hour periods with a total of 18 vehicles arriving at, and departing from, the site over the course of a 12 hour day.
“Peak hour vehicle trips associated with the existing hairdresser/beauty salon use would likely be lower than for office use, although it is difficult to provide a detailed trip estimate due to a lack of hairdresser/beauty salons in the TRICS database. However, given the low level of trips associated with the proposed office use, it is not considered that a change of use from hairdresser to office would have any effect on the operation of the local highway network.
“It is considered that the proposals will not materially change the level of trips to and from the site and would not be detrimental to the operation of the local transport.”