Plans have been submitted to turn Newark’s former framing shop at The Arcade into two apartments
Plans have been submitted to change two retail units at a Grade II listed building into residential accommodation.
The application, for the former Arcade Framing Gallery, in The Arcade, Newark, was submitted to Newark and Sherwood District Council by Parkdale Estates Limited.
If approved, the site, which falls within the town’s conservation area, would see the change of use of the existing ground and first-floor retail unit into two residential apartments.
The building is accessed from Cartergate, at the eastern edge of the covered pedestrian walkway through to the Arcade, and the retail unit entrance is located inside the iron gates, which restrict access to the pedestrian zone beyond trading hours.
The access for the ground floor apartment will be via a keycode gate to the rear, and access to the entrance of apartment two will be controlled via keycode access through the wrought iron gates.
The entrance door to the ground floor apartment will be created through a new opening to the rear, while the first floor apartment entrance will remain via the existing shop front to ensure the street scene is maintained.
A separated window display space will also be created to retain the character and appearance of the shopping arcade, which will showcase items for sale in the adjacent shop Y&S Menswear.
Externally, to the rear, two new openings will be created for the apartment entrance door and to create a new window to the bedroom; areas which are not visible from the main street scene and are out of view of the general public.
In what is currently a shop floor and store rooms, the ground floor flat will have one bedroom, and open plan kitchen, living and dining space, and a shower room.
The stairs, which are plain and have no historical features, are accessed through a door on the left-hand side of the front entrance door which will be blocked off from the rest of the ground floor to create an access for the first floor flat.
The first floor currently comprises three main rooms, an office, a kitchen area and a WC.
The proposed flat will have one bedroom, a study, bathroom, kitchen, and seperate living and dining room.
Insulated wall linings will also be provided to all the external walls, and secondary glazing will also be provided internally to enhance the thermal performance of the existing windows, and new sun pipes are to be installed to provide additional daylight to ground floor flat.
On the planning application design and access statement, the retail unit, which is presently vacant, was said to be causing harm to an important building and pedestrian route into the market town and that the reuse will help in the transformation of the area.
