Andreas Michli & Sons shop redevelopment

The end of an era. Sadly the shop units on St Ann's Road which have hosted Andreas Michli's eclectic shop for goodness knows how many decades are being redeveloped into housing. There's a photo of the here in case you're not familiar with it.

The Council has granted permission for the corner unit and the one on the other end to be turned into housing, both incorporating the retail unit into the living space. The corner unit application is here and the other one is here. I don't suppose it will be long before the other units go the same way.

It's been known for some time that Andreas was looking to sell up but it's a real shame that these developments have not been challenged and seem to have gone unnoticed. Perhaps nobody cares? There wasn't a single public comment from nearby residents or local Councillors on either of these applications and it's now too late for anybody else to have a say.

Unfortunately there doesn't appear to be any kind of planning protection afforded to shop units away from the high street, even though it can be argued that they provide a useful service tailored to residents in the immediate vicinity and an opportunity for local businesses to gain a foothold at a reasonable rent.

This short parade of shops would have been ideal for just the sort of businesses which are on the wish list of many of the folks on HoL and have recently started to move into the area - a nice cafe on the corner, a bar, a deli, a bakery, and so on - the sort of businesses which can thrive as a group even if they are slightly off the beaten track. The Council could easily have managed a minor project to revitalise this corner and secure its long term future as a community asset. With a grant to help pay for the restoration of the original shopfronts, a bit of help with the business rates to get things started and a scheme to improve the road junction I think it would have been easy to attract new tenants. In the long term the business rates would justify this kind of input. This is a real missed opportunity.