New Estate Agents Proposed Amid ‘Serious’ Problem With Vacant Town Centre Shops

A former confectionery shop in Wrexham Town Centre could soon be occupied by an estate agents, if planning proposals are approved.

In an application submitted to Wrexham Council it is proposed that Countrywide Estate Agents occupy the former Thornton’s store on Hope Street in the town centre.

The estate agents would be open between 9am and 6pm Monday to Saturday and would create two or more jobs.

No external alternations would be made to the property and only the ground floor of the property would be occupied.

The unit on Hope Street had previously been occupied by Thornton’s, however the branch closed its Wrexham store in May 2014. The unit has remained vacant since its closure and has received very little commercial or general interest.

Under the current adopted Local Development Plan for Wrexham ground floor change of use is permitted providing it does not cause a detrimental impact on the frontage. Interestingly comments are also made regarding the expansion of non-retail uses in shopping streets are noted to represent a ‘dead frontage’ and can be of little interest to passing shoppers.

A new local development plan is due to be submitted at the end of June 2015.

Occupancy levels in the town centre are discussed in the application’s Design and Access Statement, which notes: “As part of the assessment for this proposal, a survey has been undertaken to determine the number of vacant units. The areas surveyed include Hope Street, Queen Street, Lampit Street, Henblas Street, part of Abbot Street and part of Rhosddu Road. Vacant units have been highlighted to illustrate the severe problem with vacancies, particularly in the principal shopping streets.”

The documents go onto note that within the surveyed area of the town centre there were 21 vacant properties and that the ‘vacancy rates are an indicator that the town centre is under considerable stress’. Comments are also raised on the ‘decline and health’ of the town centre, suggesting that the opening of Eagles Meadow in 2008 has shifted the shopping attention away from Hope Street.

The submitted proposals are noted to be supported appeal in Bangor – where an inspector allowed a change of use from A1 to A2 in a primary shopping area.

The Design and Access Statement continues onto say: “Bringing the unit into use as an A2 estate agency will serve to significantly enhance the character and appearance of the town centre conservation area by eliminating a dead frontage and by avoiding the use of shutters during the daytime.”

It is also concluded that the change of use would not disrupt the retail attraction of the shopping streets in the town centre.