A resubmitted call to convert a former architect’s studio into a long-term let after its owner retired has been lodged with Pembrokeshire planners.
In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Ken and Sue Morgan, through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, seek permission for a change of use of redundant office studio / annex at Little Greenway, The Studio, Station Road, Narberth to a long-term residential let.
The application is a resubmission of a previously refused scheme for both a residential and a short-term let, refused earlier this year on grounds that no justification was provided to show the existing building use was no longer viable, the proposed development would result in an increase in nitrogen discharges, and it did not include a Green Infrastructure Statement.
A supporting statement accompanying the latest application says the studio was formerly a successful architectural practice run by Mr Morgan, who has since retired, before he decided to sell the good will to a former staff member.
It said the new owner of the practice organised the business on a work from home basis in Crymych, there now being “no justification for viewing Little Greenway as an employment centre,” adding: “Nor do the applicants wish to see a new office-based activity being available within the grounds of their home.”
It says the applicants’ revised intention is to operate the studio/annex as a long-term let which involves limited management while providing a source of income as well as an additional unit of accommodation within Narberth.
It says, compared with the previous studio use with up to five people present, and the previous two-bedroomed proposal, the current scheme, which includes a green infrastructure statement, would reduce the discharges into the local sewerage network.
It stressed the favouring of a long-term let over previous short-term proposals, following Mr Morgan retiring at the age of 79: “As retirees my wife and I prefer to let the property to a young couple on a long let rather than having regular holiday letting changeovers every week”.
It concluded: “Whilst the use of the studio / annex provided a workplace for up to seven employees, increasing use of computer aided design, the impact of Covid and a desire by Mr Morgan to retire led to the applicant selling his practice to a former employee.
“As a result, the studio / annex can no longer be seen as an opportunity for another office-based enterprise, nor do the owners wish to see such an activity within the curtilage of Little Greenway with the attendant increase in visitors.”
The latest proposals will be considered by county planners at a later date.
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