Flats in former Rushden department store approved at appeal

An application submitted to North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) to convert the Peter Crisp building on Rushden High Street was originally turned down by planning officers in the summer of last year.

The application by Peter Crisp Ltd sought permission to build 14 flats on the first and second floors of the former store at 1-11 High Street and 1-9 Church Street.

The family firm closed in 2009. Since then, the ground floor of the property has been divided up and used by a variety of businesses, including Charles Orlebar Estate Agents, Tesco Express and an Anytime Fitness gym.

The upper floors of the building have remained vacant over the years. The plans proposed to provide four one-bed and ten two-bedroom flats across the property and put them back into use.

Each of the proposed flats will comprise an open plan living/kitchen area, as well as a shower room or bathroom. There is no on-site parking proposed for tenants.

NNC originally refused the plans in July 2024 due to the proximity of the site to the Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits special protection area and their view that the proposed flats were too small to meet national space standards.

The government’s planning inspectorate has overturned the council’s rejection after the applicant took the project to appeal.

The appeals document stated that the appellant submitted updated plans which addressed NNC’s concerns about the limited floorspace.

For two of the proposed apartments, it replaced one double bed with a single bed to reduce the maximum occupancy from four people to three, thus meeting the national standards.

The planning inspector also said that Peter Crisp Ltd provided evidence that it made payments towards the special protection area mitigation measures, which is a requirement for the scheme.

The Inspector ultimately concluded that the appeal should be allowed and granted prior approval for the flats conversion on Friday, May 16.