Fresh plan to convert former Wakefield Peter Jones store into HMO approved
The ground floor of the Grade II-listed building will remain as a shop
Updated plans to convert the upper floors of a prominent retail building in Wakefield city centre into a house share have been approved.
Wakefield Council previously turned down proposals to transform the former Peter Jones store into a house of multiple occupancy.
In August last year, planning officers said future residents would be provided with “poor quality” accommodation due to it having “inadequate levels of natural light.”
A new application was then submitted by Triptych Property Developments Ltd which reduced the proposed number of bedrooms from ten to nine across the first and second floors.
The ground floor of the Grade II-listed building, which dates back to the early 1800s and is within a conservation area, is to be retained for retail use.
A planning statement submitted by the applicant said: “The proposals will deliver a high-quality residential development that will enhance the property.
“The proposed development is appropriate in its context and has considered the need to preserve and enhance the special character and interest of the Grade-II listed building.
Approving the scheme, a planning officer’s report said: “It is considered that the proposal will maintain the special interest of the listed building and is considered to have an acceptable design that will not have a detrimental impact on the character and form of the host building and surrounding area.
“The proposal brings a vacant part of the listed building back into use and will ensure that the heritage asset is in continued use and will allow for natural maintenance of the building.”
Local councillors and Wakefield Civic Society objected to the previous scheme.
They said could it negatively impact the council’s ongoing Cathedral Square regeneration project, which aims to create a new public events space for the city centre.
The civic society supported the revised application after the council’s conservation officer raised no objections.
Society president Kevin Trickett said: “We have now considered the new applications and welcome the changes that have been introduced.”
Peter Jones, known for selling fine china, gifts and cookware for over 60 years in Wakefield, stopped trading at the premises January 2025.