Great Missenden High Street shops could be turned into flats

Keith Thompson wants to convert shops at 5 and 6 Wheelers Yard, 87 High Street, into three one-bedroom duplex flats in the units, which currently stand empty.

The existing courtyard will stay the same size, but the amount of hard landscaping will be reduced to allow for a garden to be included as part of the development, an online design and access statement says.

The document also says no additional car parking will be provided – the existing carports will be retained for parking – because of “limited vision splays, narrow access driveway and combined pedestrian use”.

The statement says: “The change of use is likely to slightly increase noise outside business trading hours and decrease noise during the daytime from that of the current use and noise patterns.”

It adds: “However, the area is a mixed use area with a range of different use classes in the vicinity, therefore any slight increase in noise outside business hours would be minimal.”

“The site would benefit from being used at night-time in terms of reducing crime. At present, the site has minimal use and passers by at night, whereas the proposal would mean that residents would be coming and going into the yard outside of business hours.”

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The development will use local materials which the applicant says will “strengthen the local economy and promote the use of materials traditional to the area…”

The document concludes: “The scheme has been designed with due consideration for the impact of the proposal on the immediate surrounding area and [as] such, for the reasons above, we consider that it is carefully conceived development which relates well to its environment.

“The intention is to create improved appearance if the property and provide a continued use for the building.”

So far, one objection has been submitted to the plans, with Dennis Keeling writing: “We own the residential property at 1 Church Street, to the east of the development.

“The Wheeler Yard offices on both floors currently overlook our secluded private garden, which was laid out by the famous garden designer Andy Sturgeon.

“We want to ensure our privacy by insisting that there should be no change to the existing window sizes and functions on the property’s east wall.”

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He added: “We have major residential parking problems in the area. There are more permit holders than parking bays in Church Street.

“This is aggravated by High Street residents also being allowed to park in Church Street as the High Street has very few resident parking places.

“The original Wheeler Yard property’s office workers were not allowed to use the village’s resident parking facilities, but the new residents would be allowed that facility.

“This would put even more pressure on the limited residential parking spaces available.”

A decision is expected to be made by August 27.