Parish councillors have raised no objection to plans to turn a former café in Stansted into a two-bedroom home.
A planning application for change of use has been submitted to Uttlesford District Council to transform grade II listed Brewery Barn in Lower Street, that until November housed Bear and Eden coffee shop.
Building owner Paul Sharpe spelled out his plans at Stansted Parish Council’s meeting on Wednesday (Mar 22).
He said that for many years the barn had been an architects’ office, but demand for office space since then had dropped off. It was empty for some time before being converted into a coffee shop. Three businesses occupied the space, all of whom had experienced “trading difficulties”.
“The recent tenant had been trying to sell the business with no success at all,” he said, referring to Gemma Denman, who ceased trading late last year and claimed she had been left with nothing.
The fact the building was surrounded on three sides by residential properties suggested that conversion to a house was a suitable next step, said Mr Sharpe.
“It will be a single house with a garden and parking,” he told the meeting. “Its impact on the historical parts of the site is minimal. There will be no change at all to the upper floor, none of the original timber structure will be changed in any way. We’re not proposing to vandalise anything and it would have little or no impact on neighbouring properties.
“Without a purpose, any building will fall into disrepair – the barn deserves a sustainable future.”
Councillors agreed to respond formally to the application with ‘no comment’, although Cllr Geoffrey Sell, who is also an Uttlesford district councillor for Stansted North, said that he had received representations from neighbouring properties.
He added: “The unit has been a coffee shop for quite a few years and hasn’t been a commercial success. I don’t see an issue in making this a residential dwelling.”
