Parking issues prevent office-to-flats conversion

The plans included conversion of vacant offices into four self-contained flats

Plans to convert office space into flats have been refused because of a lack of parking.

An application was submitted to convert vacant first floor offices in Forward House in Woodston, Peterborough, into four self-contained flats. The ground floor is occupied by a Premier convenience store.

The proposal site is located amid other commercial units and does not provide dedicated car parking space - although there would be provision for bikes and storage.

The local highways authority for Peterborough objected to the plans and said there was no guarantee that the occupants of the flats would work and shop locally.

Refusing permission for the plans, Peterborough City Council’s planning committee said: "No parking accumulation survey has been submitted to ascertain the existing parking demand and to demonstrate as to whether the car park can provide safe access of the new flats.

"The impacts from the adjoining and adjacent commercials uses, from noise, have not been appropriately assessed through a noise survey or demonstrated to be within acceptable limits."

The applicant has six months to appeal against the decision.