Company to knock down head office and build flats

Wellbeing (United Kingdom) Ltd is seeking bigger premises and will knock down its head office in Coventry

A pharmacy company is set to knock down its head office in Coventry and develop flats in its place as it seeks bigger premises.

Wellbeing (United Kingdom) Ltd, an independent chain with branches across the country, has been given planning permission for the change.

The company’s head offices and a pharmacy hub are based on Prior Deram Walk, in the old home of Forrest Medical Centre which moved to a new building next door in 2015.

The old building will make way for a three-storey block of flats.

The scheme will have seven open-market flats, a pharmacy hub, and 11 parking spaces.

Coventry architects IDP said maintaining a pharmacy hub on the ground floor would make "good use of a currently under-utilised property.”

A previous bid to redevelop the site was refused by Coventry City Council last year due to a lack of parking and amenity space for residents.

Responding to the latest plans, a neighbour queried the potential for overlooking the GP practice.

But the authority found windows were far enough away, or in one case would feature obscured glazing.

Small balconies have also been added to the new plans to improve amenity for residents.

The company said: “We are expanding our business and this office is getting smaller for us so we are looking into a bigger premises.”

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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