One Stop has this week confirmed it will be opening a new convenience store on the ground floor of Burnham-On-Sea’s former job centre.
Proposals to develop Burnham’s former job centre into a new store and eight flats upstairs were initially approved by Sedgemoor District Council last year. Now, an application from One Stop for a new premises licence has been submitted this month.
The building, located at the junction of Burnham’s High Street and Regent Street, will be turned into a One Stop store while upstairs there will be be four 1-bedroom flats plus four 2-bedroom flats.
We reported here that the Town Council’s Planning Applications Committee supported the overall plans on the basis that they would “bring a redundant building back into use, generate new employment, create new accommodation, and tidy up the street scene.”
The applicant, Holywell Limited, has submitted an application for a new premises licence and is seeking permission to open the store between 7am and 11pm seven days a week.
In its licence application, it states the property “is a closed premises in the town centre which is due to be refurbished and significant investment made to modernise and improve the interior.”
“The new store will be a convenience store under the brand of One Stop where all types of convenience products will be sold, including fresh and frozen food, toiletries, household and newspapers etc.”
“Other services will also be offered to customers, such as the ability to pay bills and collect amd send packages.”
“Alcohol will form approximately 15% of the goods on sale and as it is not the intended focus of the business there is an expectation that alcohol sales will have a limited impact on the area as local people are expected to on the whole purchase alcohol along with other products.”
“In terms of addressing the licencing objectives, the refurbishment of the premises will involve the installation of CCTV, an electronic refusals register and till prompts plus a number of robust conditions.”
The property has been vacant since the former job centre closed in March 2008. The building had been set to be redeveloped into a community facility with £1million of funding from the Government’s Coastal Community Fund, but the grant bid was rejected in 2018.
As part of the application, it was agreed that the delivery loading bays for the new store would be provided in Regent Street next to the property.
Local residents have expressed concern about parking issues around the area, which may be further exacerbated by the new flats.
