A LANDMARK town centre building is set to be turned into an apartment complex after plans were recommended for approval ahead of Tuesday’s planning regulatory board meeting.
The Permanent Building, on the corner of Regent Street and Church Street, was built in the 1930s as a headquarters for Barnsley Building Society.
When the society was hit by the financial crash, it merged with Yorkshire Building Society and the building was handed over to Raleys Solicitors.
Three years ago that business went into administration, and the grand building has been left vacant until recently when two planning applications were submitted to the council by Adroit Construction to turn it into flats.
While it is not listed, the building is located in the Market Hill Conservation Area, and the developer expressed a desire to retain the features of the near-90-year-old building.
“The development would bring back into productive uses an empty building, delivering a significant number of new homes on a previously developed site making it a highly sustainable form of development when also taking into account of its town centre location,” states a report which will be presented to members of the council’s planning regulatory board.
“Overall it has been assessed that the design of the development has been approached in a sympathetic and sensitive manner, making an efficient use of the site and providing good quality residential accommodation.”
The first application covers the first and second floors of the building, which will contain 14 flats, while the second for the ground floor covers 11 more flats, and two commercial units, with mezzanine floors. The development will be subject to a section 106 agreement, with the developer agreeing to contribute £21,481.80 for the provision of off-site green space.
