A successful bathroom, kitchen and plumbing business is to expand its operation on the outskirts of a town centre with a new warehouse. Sheths Interiors Ltd has been granted planning permission for the new industrial unit next to its showroom in the Lower Audley Centre, Kent Street, Blackburn.

The development by the 35-year-old family business aims to ‘regenerate an area blighted by unsightly vacant land or units’. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has approved the scheme subject to 11 conditions.

A report by planning officer Martin Kenny says: “The application site is located at the corner of Lower Audley Street and Kent Street, within the borough’s inner urban boundary. The northern portion of the site is occupied by a terrace of two-storey buildings, providing showroom and storage accommodation for a single site operator.

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“The southern portion of the site is given over to car parking and servicing areas, though a number of steel shipping containers occupy the South-East portion. The site is partially bounded to the east by the Leeds Liverpool Canal, which is elevated relative to the site.

“Approval is sought for the erection of a two-storey, portal frame, warehouse building in the North-East corner of the site. The building will be attached to the existing business premises.

“The proposal provides for circa 847 square metres of ancillary warehouse accommodation for the existing site operator. The proposal seeks to replicate the general form and appearance of the existing buildings within the site.

“This results in a two-storey portal frame building, with eaves height of 5.6m. The building will have brick plinth to the ground floor, with profiled steel cladding to the upper walling and roof. The submission indicates that 25 parking spaces shall be provided, along with two disabled spaces, four cycle space sand two motorcycle spaces.”

A design and access statement submitted with the planning application says: “We believe that this proposed development will enhance the area and bring in much valuable ‘Employment Land Uses’. The development will also create a sustainable environment and regenerate an area blighted by unsightly vacant land or units.

“The existing buildings comprise a terraced block of Industrial Type Units currently serving the business (Sheth’s Interiors Ltd) who occupy the whole site for their retail bathroom showroom, kitchen showroom, trade counter of plumbing supplies and ancillary storage. There are copious public transport links to Blackburn and surrounding towns and cities, with arterial roads leading to the M65 motorway network.”

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