Plans to convert back of 'mega vape' shop in Northampton village high street into one-bed flat approved despite objections

Ultimate Juice Limited applied to change the storage space at the rear of the Sky Blue Vape Megastore, in Main Road in Duston Village, into a new ground floor flat.

Planning papers say the first floor of the historic building is currently used as a residential flat, with the ground floor operating as the vape shop. The applicant has said that the associated storage area behind the shopfront is no longer needed.

The residential plans have received 17 objections from members of the public, alongside complaints from the ward councillors Hayley Adkins and Vincent Clive, and Duston Parish Council.

All parties raised concerns with insufficient parking for the shop and residential flats, with only one parking space offered in a small yard at the back of the property, the loss of the storage space for the shop and the overdevelopment of the site.

Speaking at the planning meeting on Tuesday May 19, Councillor Vincent Clive (Reform UK, Duston) told members that there is already parking pressure in Main Road, leading to people leaving their cars on zig zag lines and creating safety risks for pedestrians.

“Introducing additional residents without dedicated parking spaces will exacerbate illegal and obstructive parking,” he added.

“The proposed flat is excessively small, resulting in cramped living conditions, limited natural light and inadequate private amenity space. Whilst it might meet the minimum standards, I think we should be aspiring for better.”

Other objectors agreed, adding: “Not only does the development of flats within this historic shop frontage go against all a conservation area stands for, the infrastructure of this area does not lend itself for further residents along the Main Road. We already see discarded cigarettes and litter outside other shop front premises which have been converted incorporating rental flats.

“Further residential development along the Main Road will only increase parking issues, exacerbating an already congested road. Over the last 10 years or so, Main Road Duston has seen a substantial increase in traffic due to the extensive building of housing in the surrounding area, and incidents of near misses between vehicles and pedestrians on the crossing.”

Another wrote that they often avoid walking through the village due to “general chaos” from speeding traffic and illegal parking and raised concerns that the plans would aggravate this.

The officers’ report, which recommended approval for the project, said that the proposals would “breathe new life into some under-used buildings” while being sympathetic to the existing area. It added that the plans meet the minimum space standards for a two-person one-bedroom flat.

The plans also included a retrospective application for the design of the shopfront and signage, which changed the exterior of the building from the former florist’s green frontage to a new black-and-white illuminated box sign.

These have since been altered from the initial application after objections from members of the public and WNC’s own heritage officers. The lighting has now been removed, instead keeping the new black-and-white style with the individual raised letters on the painted timber fascia.