Flats plan for former workhouse approved

The three-storey listed building most recently housed NHS offices

Plans to convert a former workhouse building into apartments have been given the green light.

Bevan House, a three-storey listed building on the former Barony Hospital site in Nantwich, along with John Snow House, a two-storey separate detached building, will become 31 one-bedroom flats.

The site used to be office space for the NHS, but there had been no interest in using it for employment purposes in the 12 months it had been marketed, a planning officer said.

Cheshire East Council's southern planning committee was unanimous in approving the application on Wednesday.

Planning officer Daniel Evans told the meeting no external alterations would be made to the buildings, apart from cycle and bin stores.

The vacant premises had been subject to vandalism, and given there was no reasonable prospect of the site being brought back into employment use, residential use was appropriate, he added.

A separate application for listed building consent for the same site was also approved by councillors on the committee.

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